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
- Not verified here — check the original 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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1608956.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
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 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.
- Whole decision: 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.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical opinions and needs further development.
- Whole decision: 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.
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