The Veteran's treatment at a private medical facility for his right index finger injury was not authorized in advance by VA, and the Board finds that it did not meet the criteria for reimbursement under either Section 1725 or 1728 of the law. The appeal is denied.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's treatment at a private medical facility was not for a medical emergency, and VA facilities were feasibly available to provide the care instead.
- Claimed conditions
- right index finger injury
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 26, 2012
- Citation
- 1243744
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 1243744.
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 denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, as well as a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) and special monthly compensation (SMC), due to insufficient evidence of current disabilities related to service or functional impairment.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for various hand injuries due to issues with the competency of a VA examiner and the need for an addendum opinion regarding functional equivalent of ankylosis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand three issues related to service connection and disability ratings for the Veteran's conditions. The VA will need to review additional treatment records before making a decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases due to inadequate opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's left and right index finger injuries. The VA must obtain additional evidence and provide another opinion.
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