The Veteran received emergency medical treatment at Grays Harbor Community Hospital on January 19, 2015 due to severe coughing and respiratory difficulties. The nearest VA facility was over an hour away, making the hospital's services necessary for immediate care. The Veteran is not service-connected for any condition, but the Board found that the emergency treatment met all criteria for reimbursement under 38 U.S.C. § 1725.
The deciding factor: The emergency treatment was deemed necessary due to a prudent layperson expectation of hazardous health consequences from delayed care and the lack of feasibly available VA facilities.
- Claimed conditions
- severe coughing, respiratory difficulties, sleeping difficulties
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- April 23, 2019
- Citation
- 19131714
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,316 · Granted: 43% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19131714.
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
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- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided the claim is remanded due to inadequate opinions and need for further examination regarding exposure to environmental hazards during service.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's claims for service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome, sleep apnea, and respiratory difficulties have been denied. The Board found that the Veteran does not meet the criteria for a current diagnosis of CFS or Gulf War illness manifested by fatigue. Service connection was granted for sleep apnea as it is related to his service-connected PTSD. Respiratory difficulties were denied due to lack of evidence linking them to service.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran seeks compensation benefits for additional disability as a result of hernia repair surgery performed at a VA medical facility in August 2007. The case is being remanded to obtain further examination and treatment records, and to determine if the Veteran's current conditions are related to the 2007 surgery.
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