The Board has determined that additional development of the evidence is required to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses incurred during a non-VA hospitalization at Murphy Medical Center on September 24, 2018. Specifically, the AOJ must secure and associate with the claims file the January 8, 2019 decision on appeal (denial letter with appellate rights) for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses, if available for printout. The AOJ should also contact the Veteran to obtain necessary authorization for VA to obtain private medical records dated in September 2018 from a local walk-in clinic where she received treatment prior to her emergency room visit.

The deciding factor: The Board found that additional development is needed, including obtaining missing documents and securing private medical records from a local walk-in clinic

Claimed conditions

left index finger puncture wound, bilateral lower extremity burns

How they argued it

Not specified

Exposure basis

None

Rating assigned

None in this decision

Decision date

November 26, 2019

Citation

19188926

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 19188926.