The veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses at a non-VA hospital on August 17, 2006 was denied because he did not respond within the required time limit to a request for additional information and thus abandoned his claim.
The deciding factor: The veteran failed to respond in a timely manner to a September 28, 2006 request for additional information needed to certify his eligibility to receive benefits under Chapter 17 of the Veterans' Benefits Act.
- Claimed conditions
- laceration of left index finger
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- September 15, 2008
- Citation
- 0831389
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0831389.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has determined that the veteran does not have TMJ pain syndrome, residuals of a laceration of the left index finger, or disability manifested by a chronic cough due to service. As such, these claims are denied.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings for his right knee, left index finger, and right clavicle disabilities. The RO assigned non-compensable disability evaluations to each of these conditions.
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