The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of bilateral Achilles tendinopathy is granted, with the earliest possible effective date being June 10, 2003. The claim for a compensable initial disability rating for Hepatitis B remains denied as there are no symptoms or complications associated with the condition.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service treatment records (STRs) were not previously considered in the original decision of June 28, 2003, which granted service connection. The new STRs provided evidence that was not available at the time of the initial decision and established a clear picture of the Veteran's condition.
- Claimed conditions
- Achilles tendinopathy, Hepatitis B
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 9, 2015
- Citation
- 1501123
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 1501123.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied, and the reduction of his hepatitis B rating from 20% to 0% was upheld. Service connection was not established for diabetes, left knee arthritis, hypertension, or obstructive sleep apnea. Bilateral hearing loss was granted.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's asthma and hepatitis B claims are remanded for further evaluation. The TDIU claim is also remanded due to its inextricability with the other claims.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for hepatitis B from January 4, 1977, to June 18, 2009 is being remanded due to the need for a retrospective addendum opinion.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for Hepatitis B, finding insufficient evidence of a diagnosis and thus no additional disability.
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