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 medical conditions. The closest VA facility was not feasibly available on that date.
- 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
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.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of October 21, 2021, for the grant of service connection for hypertension.
- Dismissed
The appeal for a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss, service connection for right ear hearing loss, and bilateral vision condition was dismissed. Service connection for hypertension, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery disease was denied.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and related disabilities, urinary incontinence, sleep apnea, hypertension, varicose veins, lumbar spine disability, hip arthritis, shoulder arthritis, ankle arthritis, knee strain, knee replacement, and hand arthritis. The only condition granted was a 10 percent rating for a fracture of the right proximal first metacarpal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for tinnitus to correct a duty to assist error, as the Veteran's lay statements regarding onset and continuity of symptoms were not adequately considered in the previous decision.
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