The Board denied payment or reimbursement for unauthorized expenses incurred by the Veteran for care at St. Vincent’s Medical Center, Jacksonville, Florida from August 20 to August 24, 2015 due to lack of emergency condition and availability of VA facilities.
The deciding factor: The episode of care was not for an emergency condition that required immediate medical attention, and the nearest VA facility with an emergency room is a two-hour drive away.
- Claimed conditions
- left leg cellulitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 12, 2020
- Citation
- 20073000
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.
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The Veteran's claim for service connection for left leg cellulitis was denied. The claim for bilateral hearing loss was remanded for further evaluation.
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- Remanded (sent back)
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- Remanded (sent back)
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