The Veteran received emergency medical treatment for rectal bleeding and anal fissure at Stillwater Medical Center on January 18, 2015. The Board found that the condition was a serious health issue requiring immediate attention due to his homeless living conditions and increased level of bleeding, and that no VA facility was feasibly available to provide timely care.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's rectal bleeding and anal fissure were considered an emergency requiring immediate medical attention given his homeless living situation and the severity of the condition.
- Claimed conditions
- anal fissure, rectal bleeding
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 2, 2020
- Citation
- 20000198
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a bilateral eye disability (pinguecula and dry eye syndrome) on a direct basis, but dismissed claims for earlier effective dates and service connections for PTSD, rectal bleeding, left leg condition, and other neuropathies. The Board also denied an earlier effective date for the 50 percent rating for migraine headaches.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for celiac disease, rectal bleeding, erectile deformity (other than erectile dysfunction), high blood pressure, and chest pain to the VA Regional Office for issuance of a Statement of the Case.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the motions for revision of clear and unmistakable error in various rating decisions, including those related to service connection and ratings for multiple conditions. The claims for service connection were remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for an adequate examination to address the nature and severity of the Veteran's service-connected anal fissure (also claimed as proctalgia fugax, prolonged painful rectum spasms).
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