The Veteran is seeking reimbursement for unauthorized medical expenses incurred during his private hospitalization at St. Charles Medical Center from February 7th-11th of 2014 due to a nonservice-connected illness. The Board has determined that additional development is needed, including obtaining missing VA and private hospital records, as well as securing a new medical opinion regarding the date of stabilization.
The deciding factor: The decision requires further evidence to determine if the Veteran's condition stabilized at St. Charles Medical Center, which impacts whether he can be reimbursed for unauthorized expenses incurred after that point.
- Claimed conditions
- Nonservice-connected illness (fever, myalgias, sweating, coughing, chest congestion, shortness of breath, shaking rigors, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 14, 2020
- Citation
- 20002801
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
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a chronic undiagnosed illness manifested by bilateral leg pain, bilateral hand tremors, sinus problems, shortness of breath and recurrent transient ear noise due to Gulf War service. Service connection was denied for CFS.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for multiple conditions due to a need for additional development, including obtaining medical opinions considering all toxic exposure risk activities (TERAs) under the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxins Act of 2022.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for right and left ankle disabilities, a skin rash, and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss, shortness of breath, PTSD, OSA, cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability, knee disabilities, CPS, and earlier effective dates.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for vertigo, itchy eyes, stuffy nose, and nasal congestion, coughing, anal bleeding, and anal fissures on a direct basis. A 30 percent rating was also granted for cervical spine degenerative disc disease.
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