The Board has determined that the Veteran's hepatitis C with associated liver cirrhosis is at least as likely as not incurred during his active service, including exposure to air gun inoculations and getting a tattoo.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded that the Veteran's hepatitis C was less likely than not caused by or related to his in-service risk factors of receiving blood products during surgery (which he did not recall) and engaging in high-risk sexual activity after service, but more likely due to other known modes of transmission such as intravenous drug use.
- Claimed conditions
- hepatitis C with associated liver cirrhosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 15, 2013
- Citation
- 1325994
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 1325994.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for hepatitis C with associated liver cirrhosis, finding that it is at least as likely as not related to his in-service exposure. The decision was based on direct evidence of a link between the condition and service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hepatitis C with associated liver cirrhosis, finding that there was no evidence of a chronic disease during or within one year after service and noting that the Veteran failed to report for scheduled VA examinations. The Board concluded that his current condition is not related to service.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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