The Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of medical expenses at a private hospital was denied because the VA clinician determined that his condition had stabilized and he could have been transferred to a VA facility. The appeal is remanded due to lack of documentation and rationale.
The deciding factor: The decision was based on the VA clinician's determination that the Veteran's condition had stabilized, allowing for transfer to a VA facility.
- Claimed conditions
- cellulitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 5, 2018
- Citation
- 18146975
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 18146975.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
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.
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