The Veteran's claim for VA payment of medical expenses incurred on October 11, 2007 at a private hospital is granted due to the emergency nature of his condition and the unavailability of VA facilities.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's condition was an acute emergency that required immediate attention as he had severe symptoms including abdominal pain, blood in urine, and no bowel movements for nine days. The closest available VA facility was 34 miles away and not open at the time of his arrival.
- Claimed conditions
- abdominal pain, blood and tissue in urine, absence of bowel movements for nine days
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 28, 2010
- Citation
- 1028173
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 1028173.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that the Veteran does not have a current respiratory disability other than sleep apnea. The claims for abdominal pain, type I diabetes, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, and an immune disorder are remanded due to a duty to assist error.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and abdominal pain as there is no current diagnosed disability of IBS or functional impairment due to abdominal or constipation symptoms.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for right knee disorder, left knee disorder, right ankle disorder, left ankle disorder, right foot disorder, and left foot disorder as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disorder. Service connection for abdominal pain is denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's gastrointestinal disability, including gastroenteritis and abdominal pain, was incurred in service.
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