The Veteran's unauthorized medical expenses for aortic valve replacement surgery are denied because VA facilities were not feasibly available and he did not receive prior authorization for the care received in December 2014.
The deciding factor: VA facilities were not feasibly available, and the Veteran did not receive prior authorization for the care received in December 2014.
- Claimed conditions
- Heart disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 12, 2018
- Citation
- 18141978
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 18141978.
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.
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The appeal was denied for service connection of a cervical spine disorder, and several claims were remanded for further development.
- Partly granted
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- Dismissed
The appeals for service connection for a heart disorder, Parkinson's disease, pulmonary disorder, skin rash, and posttraumatic stress disorder are dismissed due to the Veteran's death during the pendency of the appeal.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for PTSD, dermatitis, and IBS, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating.
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