The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability is found to be caused at least in part by his hepatitis B, which he contracted as a result of negligent administration of a colonoscopy. As the evidence is in equipoise regarding whether this condition is caused by hepatitis B, and given the Veteran's service connection for hepatitis B, compensation for an acquired psychiatric disability secondary to hepatitis B is granted.
The deciding factor: The evidence shows that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability is at least partially caused by his hepatitis B diagnosis, which he contracted due to negligent medical care. Given this causal relationship and his existing service connection for hepatitis B, the Board grants compensation for the acquired psychiatric disability as secondary to hepatitis B.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric disability (depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, or adjustment disorder)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 3, 2016
- Citation
- 1608682
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 1608682.
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.
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- Granted
The Veteran's major depressive disorder is found to be caused by his service-connected low back and radiculopathy disabilities, which prevent him from doing enjoyable activities and daily living tasks.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his active service or any related exposure.
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