The Board is remanding the case to determine if the Veteran received preventative health services/patient education from VA within 24 months prior to receiving emergency treatment at SMC on July 19, 2017.
The deciding factor: The denial of the appeal was based on a narrow interpretation of 'medical services' under 38 U.S.C. § 1701(6), which did not consider preventative health services/patient education as part of VA medical services.
- Claimed conditions
- Not specified in this decision
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 21, 2019
- Citation
- 19188184
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 19188184.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.