The Board has determined that the Veteran's HIV-related illness is not related to his military service, including as due to a sexual assault in service. The preponderance of evidence supports this conclusion.
The deciding factor: Medical opinions indicate it is highly unlikely that the Veteran contracted HIV from a reported sexual assault in 1988, given the negative HIV antibody test result in 1989 and post-service risk factors for HIV.
- Claimed conditions
- HIV-related illness
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- September 1, 2015
- Citation
- 1537361
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 1537361.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a psychiatric disorder due to military sexual trauma (MST) and remanded the claims for HIV-related illness, hypertension, left knee replacement, and sleep apnea.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for earlier effective dates and service connection, with some issues being remanded.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied a rating higher than 70 percent for major depressive disorder with anxious distress and a rating higher than 30 percent for HIV-related illness based on the evidence of record.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remanded the claim for service connection of sleep apnea as secondary to HIV-related illness due to inadequate medical opinions. The Veteran will receive a new examination.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.