The Veteran's death was due to a service-connected disability (hepatitis), and the appellant is entitled to burial benefits.
The deciding factor: The in-service hepatitis likely contributed to the development of chronic liver disease, which led to the Veteran's cancer and subsequent death.
- Claimed conditions
- hepatitis, metastatic cancer to the liver and bladder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 18, 2011
- Citation
- 1101957
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 1101957.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board has granted service connection for hepatitis C and secondary service connection for cirrhosis of the liver, both determined to be related to in-service hepatitis.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to the failure to schedule VA examinations related to his claimed disabilities. The Board finds that there was a pre-decisional error in not ensuring proper communication with the Veteran.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his hepatitis, finding that the evidence does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under Diagnostic Code 7354.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty to assist error in failing to obtain an adequate medical opinion regarding the Veteran's liver disease, including hepatitis B and/or C.
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