Estate of Bell v. Blue Cross & Blue Shield of North Carolina

McCRODDEN, Judge.

The facts of this case are not in dispute. William Bell was a disabled veteran and was entitled to Veterans Administration (VA) benefits. Among those benefits was an obligation to pay for medical care rendered to a veteran in a non-VA facility, for so long as necessary to stabilize the veteran’s condition. Under the then-active VA directives, when a veteran was stable enough to be transported by ambulance to a VA facility, a bed would be offered to the veteran at the VA facility. If the veteran refused the bed, then the VA’s obligation to pay for medical care rendered by a…