The Veteran received emergency medical treatment at Baylor Medical Center on August 19, 2013 due to severe leg pain and elevated blood pressure. The Board found that the nearest available appropriate level of care was at a non-VA medical center (Baylor Medical Center), and that there were no VA facilities feasibly available for immediate treatment. Therefore, payment is granted.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's condition required immediate attention due to severe symptoms and elevated blood pressure, making it reasonable to expect delay in seeking care would have been hazardous to his health.
- Claimed conditions
- Low back pain, Sciatica
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 29, 2019
- Citation
- 19133172
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for GERD, lumbar spine disability, sciatica, and ED, as well as a TDIU prior to April 5, 2021, due to inadequate medical opinions.
- 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.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.