The Veteran's emergency treatment at Providence Holy Family Hospital was denied because a VA facility was feasibly available and an attempt to use it beforehand would have been considered reasonable by a prudent layperson.
The deciding factor: The nearest VA Medical Center providing urgent or emergency services was within a feasible distance, but the Veteran did not know its operating hours due to her emergency on a Sunday.
- Claimed conditions
- left ankle fracture
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19191564
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 19191564.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, with some issues being remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for left ankle fracture to obtain an adequate medical opinion.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal in its entirety, and the claims for service connection and higher ratings were dismissed.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for a right ankle condition, left ankle fracture, psychological disorder, and back condition to ensure that all evidence reviewed by the AOJ at the time of the January 2021 rating decision is properly documented.
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