The Board found that the veteran's treatment at SJH was for a condition of such severity that delay in seeking immediate medical attention would have been hazardous to his life or health. However, VA facilities were not feasibly available and an attempt to use them beforehand would not have been considered reasonable by a prudent layperson. The claim is denied as the veteran is financially liable for the treatment received.
The deciding factor: The veteran's condition was severe enough that delay in seeking medical attention would have endangered his life or health, but VA facilities were not feasibly available and an attempt to use them beforehand would not have been considered reasonable by a prudent layperson.
- Claimed conditions
- altered mental status, right lower lobe infiltrate with possible community acquired pneumonia or aspiration pneumonia, hypercalcemia, renal insufficiency, alcohol abuse, tobacco abuse, hyperglycemia, hyperkalemia, probable urinary tract infection, anemia and macrocytic anemia secondary to alcohol dependency
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 3, 2007
- Citation
- 0737897
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0737897.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for unspecified depressive disorder with anxious distress and alcohol abuse, finding that there is no evidence of a current disability or a link to active service.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for service connection for alcohol abuse and drug abuse, as well as a rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD, were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating or secondary service connection.
- Granted
The Veteran's cause of death was hyperkalemia, hemolytic anemia, and autoimmune hemolytic anemia. His Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia substantially contributed to his death.,Service connection for tremors is granted with an effective date of April 11, 2012.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of VA examination for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disorder, including anxiety and substance abuse disorders.
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