The Veteran's treatment for a healed abscess and associated cellulitis on November 12, 2013 was considered an emergency by the Board due to his history of brain infection. The claim is granted as payment or reimbursement for unauthorized medical expenses.
The deciding factor: The Board found that a prudent layperson would have reasonably expected that delay in seeking immediate medical attention for the Veteran's condition could have resulted in serious health risks, thus meeting the criteria for emergency treatment.
- Claimed conditions
- abscess, cellulitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 7, 2016
- Citation
- 1608956
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 1608956.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the cause of death due to lack of evidence showing a link between any service-connected disability and the Veteran's death. The conditions listed on his death certificate were not related to his military service.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability of cellulitis and there is no recent diagnosis prior to his claim. Therefore, service connection for cellulitis is denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinions and needs further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for lumbar spine disability, dermatitis, cellulitis, IBS, diverticulitis, hiatal hernia (GERD), and respiratory disability due to potential service connection based on in-service exposures. The VA must obtain updated medical opinions addressing these issues.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.