The Board finds that it is as likely as not that the Veteran's abuse of alcohol was secondary to, or a symptom of, his service-connected PTSD. The evidence supports the view that the Veteran developed cirrhosis and hepatitis as a result of alcohol abuse, which ultimately led to his death.
The deciding factor: The evidence shows that the Veteran's alcohol abuse was secondary to, or a symptom of, his service-connected PTSD, and that the abuse caused cirrhosis and hepatitis that ultimately led to his death.
- Claimed conditions
- cirrhosis, chronic active hepatitis
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 4, 2009
- Citation
- 0946214
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 0946214.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was not caused by or substantially contributed to by any service-connected disability, and thus denied the claim for service connection for cause of death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has dismissed the appeal for accrued benefits and has remanded the issue of service connection for cause of death, as there was a duty to assist error related to obtaining a medical nexus opinion regarding in-service herbicide agent exposure.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's Hepatitis C with cirrhosis is related to service, and therefore grants service connection for these conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the cause of the Veteran's death (hepatitic failure, cirrhosis, and chronic hepatitis C) is not directly related to his Marine Corps service or any verified in-service exposures. The VA examiner's opinion was found inadequate due to its reliance on the absence of medical literature without a discussion of specific facts.
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