The Veteran's unauthorized medical expenses incurred at a private hospital on March 30, 2015 for acute bronchitis and low back pain are granted as there is no feasible VA facility available that morning.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that the nearest VA facilities were not feasibly available to the Veteran on the day of his unauthorized medical treatment, thus meeting one of the criteria for payment or reimbursement under 38 U.S.C. § 1725.
- Claimed conditions
- Acute bronchitis, Low back pain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 29, 2019
- Citation
- 19133038
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for low back pain and migraines, effective October 1, 2019. The claim for sciatic nerve pain was remanded.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a 100 percent evaluation for acute bronchitis from November 29, 2020, and denied a compensable rating prior to that date. The claim for service connection for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for low back pain, left shoulder osteoarthritis, right shoulder rotator cuff, right bicep tendonitis, left bicep tendonitis, obstructive sleep apnea, and Meniere's Syndrome (vertigo) to address duty-to-assist errors.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, an increased rating for generalized anxiety disorder with depression (GAD), and a compensable rating for pseudofolliculitis barbae. The claims for service connection for chronic left knee pain, chronic right knee pain, low back pain, neurogenic erectile dysfunction, onychomycosis, and pain and dysfunction of the right shoulder were remanded.
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