The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized medical expenses incurred on September 24, 2020, and October 8, 2020, by Flat River Family Dentistry due to lack of prior authorization from VA and the absence of a medical emergency requiring immediate treatment.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the dental treatments were not for an emergent condition and that VA facilities were feasibly available, thus denying reimbursement based on these criteria.
- Claimed conditions
- loss of use of both lower extremities, loss of use of the left buttock, loss of use of the right buttock, impairment of the right lower extremity, impairment of the left lower extremity, partial bowel impairment, partial bladder impairment, impairment of the right upper extremity, impairment of the left upper extremity, left hip fracture, optic atrophy of the right eye, colitis, recurrent renal calculi, laparoscopy scar, bilateral plantar wart scars, borderline diabetes mellitus
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 10, 2024
- Citation
- A24081927
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 A24081927.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded all issues except for the ones related to SMC, SAH, and earlier effective date for service connection. The Veteran is granted SMC under certain conditions, certificate of eligibility for SAH, and increased rate of SMC at a specific rate.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for colitis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, and cholangiocarcinoma as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected vitiligo.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the appeal for service connection of colitis as it was granted in a previous decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim due to a pre-decisional error in evaluating his service-connected disabilities and their impact on his employment. The AOJ will need to reassess these factors with an updated evaluation.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.