The Board has determined that the Veteran's unauthorized non-VA medical care was related to a condition of such a nature that a prudent layperson would have reasonably expected that delay in seeking immediate medical attention would have been hazardous. The closest VA facility was not feasibly available, and reimbursement is granted.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's statements regarding when to seek emergency treatment were credible and supported by other evidence of record, indicating a prudent layperson would have reasonably expected to delay seeking immediate medical attention at their own expense due to worsening symptoms.
- Claimed conditions
- MRSA infection
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 12, 2022
- Citation
- 22014315
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 22014315.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 is denied because the VA did not cause any additional disability, and there was no fault on their part in providing care.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for six surgical scars and insomnia, as secondary to the service-connected intervertebral disc syndrome with lumbosacral strain status post laminectomy. It also granted a 50% disability rating for the intervertebral disc syndrome with lumbosacral strain status post laminectomy, effective July 31, 2017, and a TDIU due solely to this condition.
- Denied
The Veteran's death was not caused by VA's carelessness, negligence, or similar instance of fault in providing medical treatment. The Board found that the MRSA infection did not result from VA's care.
- Denied
The Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and therefore his cause of death is not eligible for service connection.
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