The Board denied payment or reimbursement of medical expenses incurred at Princeton Baptist Medical Center on March 27, 2019 due to lack of prior authorization and the absence of emergency treatment criteria being met.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's non-VA care was not authorized in advance and did not meet the requirements for emergency services under 38 U.S.C. § 1725.
- Claimed conditions
- laceration of the left index finger
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- August 16, 2019
- Citation
- 19163771
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,960 · Granted: 36% (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 19163771.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
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
The Veteran's residuals of a laceration of the left index finger are manifested by limitation of range of motion, but no evidence of amputation. The Board finds that the preponderance of the evidence is against the assignment of a rating greater than 10 percent for this disability.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected residuals of a laceration of the left index finger and any associated residual nerve damage.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's claim for a compensable initial rating for residuals of laceration of the left index finger was denied, as his disability did not meet the criteria for any higher evaluation. The claim for service connection for a bilateral foot disorder was also denied.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a Travel Board hearing. The case will be returned to the Board after the hearing.
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