The Board denied the veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses incurred at Halifax Medical Center on April 4, 2005 due to lack of pre-authorization and because VA facilities were feasibly available.
The deciding factor: VA facilities were not considered feasible given that the surgical procedure was non-emergent and alternative treatment options were available within a reasonable time frame.
- Claimed conditions
- Cholecystitis, Gallstones
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 25, 2008
- Citation
- 0802873
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 0802873.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for a separate grant of service connection for GERD, as a residual of her cholecystectomy, is granted effective May 19, 2024. The claims for increased ratings for cholecystectomy residuals and esophageal spasms are remanded.
- Granted
The Veteran's alcohol induced chronic pancreatitis with pancreatic insufficiency and gastroesophageal reflux disease, including gallbladder issues, has been granted a 100% rating effective November 19, 2024.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for an acquired psychiatric disorder, hematemesis, hyperekplexia (hyperlexia), bleeding esophagus, erectile dysfunction, gallstones, hepatomegaly and hepatic steatosis, pancreatitis, and sleep apnea due to inadequate VA medical opinions. The Veteran's mental health issues are related to service, but the claims for these conditions will be remanded for a new VA examination.
- Granted
The Veteran's upper gastrointestinal disorder, diagnosed as hypertensive gastropathy, is granted secondary to residuals of service-connected infectious hepatitis (B). The issues of gallstones and hepatitis C are remanded for further development.
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