The Board found that the veteran's end-stage liver disease, requiring a liver transplant, was not related to his military service and could not be presumed to have been incurred due to herbicide exposure. The Board concluded that the most likely cause of the veteran's liver disease was alcohol abuse.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner determined that the veteran's alcoholism played the primary role in causing his end-stage liver disease, which rendered the Agent Orange exposure hypothesis unlikely.
- Claimed conditions
- end-stage liver disease, status post liver transplant
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- November 18, 2008
- Citation
- 0839623
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 0839623.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's claim for reimbursement of a twin size adjustable bed through the FMP is granted, as it was medically necessary for his service-connected Crohn's disease and post-liver transplant.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for hepatitis C, status post liver transplant, a back condition, a muscle condition, and a respiratory condition. The Veteran was not afforded an examination to address his exposure to herbicide agents in the Philippines. An addendum opinion is needed regarding whether his hepatitis and status post liver transplant are related to Agent Orange exposure. A VA examination is also required for his claimed back and muscle conditions and respiratory condition.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hepatitis C and related hepatic disabilities due to cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer), and status post liver transplant. The reasons include a need for development of risk factors and treatment records, as well as obtaining a VA medical opinion on the etiology of the Veteran's hepatitis C.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the causes of death and the Veteran's alcohol abuse. The issues are inextricably intertwined, so both must be addressed together.
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