The Veteran's non-VA care on June 6, 2019 for a Squamous Cell Carcinoma was denied because it was not deemed emergent and prior authorization was required. The Board finds the decision insufficient to determine if the care was emergent and remands for proper notice under 38 U.S.C. § 5104.
The deciding factor: The decisional letter did not clearly address whether the care was emergent, which is a critical factor in determining eligibility for payment or reimbursement under 38 U.S.C. § 1725.
- Claimed conditions
- Squamous Cell Carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 26, 2026
- Citation
- A26017855
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 A26017855.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied a compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the claim of entitlement to a compensable rating for residuals of squamous cell carcinoma due to inadequate examination.
- Granted
The Board has restored service connection for Ischemic Heart Disease, Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Diabetes Mellitus type II, Chronic Kidney Disease, Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy of the lower left extremity sciatic nerve, Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy of the lower right extremity sciatic nerve, and Hypertension. The Board found that the original grant of service connection was not clearly erroneous due to the Veteran's exposure along the DMZ in Korea.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected seborrhea with actinic keratosis and squamous cell carcinoma was found to affect more than 40 percent of his entire body, warranting a 60% disability rating.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for service connection for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and a compensable rating evaluation for bilateral hearing loss have been denied. The Board found no new and material evidence to reopen the claim for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and determined that there was insufficient evidence of in-service exposure or current disability.
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