The Board has determined that the medical expenses incurred at Macon County General Hospital on July 21, 2012 were eligible for reimbursement due to the nature of the emergency and the unavailability of a VA facility.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's symptoms required immediate attention as he was experiencing severe breathing difficulty, chest discomfort, and other concerning signs that could have been life-threatening if not treated promptly. The closest VA facility was over 60 miles away, making it infeasible to use beforehand.
- Claimed conditions
- obstructive sleep apnea with reactive airway disease, right knee degenerative joint disease, lumbar spine degenerative arthritis, cervical spine degenerative arthritis with spondylosis, left upper extremity radiculopathy, right upper extremity radiculopathy, hypertension, right hand arthritis, left hand arthritis, left knee degenerative joint disease, right shoulder degenerative arthritis with shoulder impingement syndrome, tinnitus, left index or long finger arthritis, right ring or little finger arthritis, left right or little finger arthritis, a right knee surgical scar, right ear hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 17, 2019
- Citation
- 19178851
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,200 · Granted: 43% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 19178851.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to incomplete medical records and need for further examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issues of foot disability and cardiovascular disorder are remanded for additional development.
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