The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hepatitis and an increased rating for his left ankle/foot condition, finding that they were not well grounded.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not support a diagnosis of hepatitis or show any current disability related to hepatitis. The VA examiner found no residual problems from hepatitis in the veteran's case. For the left ankle issue, while there was some degenerative joint disease noted, it did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
- Claimed conditions
- hepatitis, left ankle fracture and degenerative joint disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- April 7, 2000
- Citation
- 0009353
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0009353.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board has granted service connection for hepatitis C and secondary service connection for cirrhosis of the liver, both determined to be related to in-service hepatitis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to the failure to schedule VA examinations related to his claimed disabilities. The Board finds that there was a pre-decisional error in not ensuring proper communication with the Veteran.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his hepatitis, finding that the evidence does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under Diagnostic Code 7354.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty to assist error in failing to obtain an adequate medical opinion regarding the Veteran's liver disease, including hepatitis B and/or C.
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