The Board denied the claim for service connection for HIV, finding that it is far less than 50 percent likely that the veteran contracted HIV as a result of a tattoo he obtained during military service.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence established that it was far less than 50 percent likely that the veteran contracted HIV through his tattoo in service.
- Claimed conditions
- acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 29, 2008
- Citation
- 0814085
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for prostatitis, HIV, CHF, GERD, herpes, a pulmonary disability, headaches, and type 2 diabetes mellitus as the evidence did not support a finding of a current disability or a nexus to service or a service-connected disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for HIV and legal blindness due to ongoing evidentiary deficiencies and failure of the RO to fully comply with prior remand directives.
- Dismissed
The appeal for service connection for HIV has been granted, making the issue moot.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for HIV, finding that the Veteran's HIV diagnosis is related to his active military service due to in-service military sexual trauma (MST).
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