The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for Hepatitis C Virus, as the most probative medical evidence indicates it is unlikely related to his military service.
The deciding factor: The VHA infectious disease specialist concluded that the Veteran's HCV is more likely related to his intravenous drug use than his in-service exposure to others' blood or unprotected sexual activity.
- Claimed conditions
- Hepatitis C Virus (HCV)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 19, 2009
- Citation
- 0906117
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,669 · Granted: 23% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0906117.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the cases for further development and to provide an addendum opinion regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's HCV and cirrhosis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claim for service connection for hepatitis C virus (HCV) due to insufficient evidence regarding its etiology. The Veteran's HCV is presumed new and material, but a medical opinion is needed to determine if it is related to service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. � 1151 for hepatitis C virus (HCV) as the result of VA medical treatment is being remanded due to incomplete development and need for additional examination.
- Denied
The Board found that the Veteran's Hepatitis C Virus did not originate during his service or for many years after it concluded and is not otherwise related to his service.
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