The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hepatitis B positive antibody and atrophy of the left kidney, both claimed as due to exposure to herbicide agents. The issues were not decided on the merits.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not establish a link between the conditions and herbicide exposure or service.
- Claimed conditions
- hepatitis B positive antibody, atrophy of the left kidney
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 26, 2004
- Citation
- 0413444
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,458 · Granted: 24% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 0413444.
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.
- Dismissed
The appeals to reopen the service connection claims for atrophy of the left kidney, arteriosclerosis of the lower extremities, and coronary artery disease have been dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
- Denied
The Board has denied the veteran's claims of service connection for hepatitis B positive antibody, atrophy of the left kidney, and hypertension as there is no evidence linking these conditions to his military service or exposure to herbicides. The veteran did not have any chronic infections or significant medical history related to these conditions during service.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the appeal for an earlier effective date for service connection due to a lack of timely submission of a substantive appeal.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a left kidney disability and found that new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen his claim of service connection for a gall bladder disability. The decision was vacated due to procedural issues.
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.