The Veteran's treatment at Halifax Hospital on June 3, 2014 was not for an emergency condition and VA facilities were feasibly available. Therefore, the claim for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses is denied.
The deciding factor: The treatment provided to the Veteran did not meet the criteria for emergency treatment as he had been experiencing symptoms for at least one month prior to seeking care and VA facilities were readily available.
- Claimed conditions
- Left ankle pain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 8, 2020
- Citation
- 20065455
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,757 · Granted: 23% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 20065455.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied compensation benefits for prostate biopsy and colonoscopy residuals, as well as service connection for left ankle pain, right ankle pain, left elbow arthritis, right elbow arthritis, and right knee osteoarthritis.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and left ankle pain, and remanded the claims for increased ratings in excess of 30 percent for chronic headaches, 20 percent for a back disability, 10 percent for a neck disability, 20 percent for radiculopathy of the left upper extremity, and 10 percent for right foot plantar fasciitis, as well as service connection for a traumatic brain injury.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various conditions, including an acquired psychiatric disorder, a gastrointestinal disorder, chest pain, back pain, left and right ankle pain, left and right knee pain, and bilateral hearing loss, to obtain additional evidence.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection due to a pre-decisional error in the June 2023 rating decision, specifically regarding the association of VA treatment records with the claims folder.
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