The Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of medical services received at Community Hospital in Anaconda, Montana from March 24, 2016 through March 25, 2016 is denied because the treatment was not for a condition that arose during his military service and he refused to be transferred to a VA facility.
The deciding factor: The Veteran refused to be transferred to a VA facility after being stabilized from an emergency situation at Community Hospital.
- Claimed conditions
- community acquired pneumonia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 12, 2019
- Citation
- 19193564
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 19193564.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to insufficient opinions regarding the nature of the Veteran's Parkinson's disease and cause of death, specifically whether his service-connected TBI aggravated or caused his gastroesophageal junction issues.
- Denied
The veteran's cause of death was respiratory failure due to pneumonia and sepsis, with underlying conditions including COPD and pulmonary tuberculosis. The Board found no service connection for the cause of death and denied eligibility for nonservice-connected death pension benefits.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence showing a chronic form of pneumonia existed in service and did not contribute to his death from community acquired pneumonia.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.