The Board denied service connection for Hepatitis C (liver disease) and residuals of pilonidal cyst, finding no evidence linking these conditions to service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner opined that it was less likely than not that the Veteran acquired Hepatitis C due to contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune. The VA examiner reasoned that contaminations were chemicals not viruses and that Hepatitis C is a blood borne virus, with no evidence of active liver disease currently.
- Claimed conditions
- Hepatitis C, pilonidal cyst
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 29, 2016
- Citation
- 1626019
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 1626019.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied a compensable initial rating for Hepatitis C, finding that the Veteran's condition was asymptomatic and did not meet the criteria for any higher rating.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to issues related to a lumbar spine disability. The Veteran's claims for service connection are not currently addressed.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's Hepatitis C with cirrhosis is related to service, and therefore grants service connection for these conditions.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's depressive disorder is granted as service-connected, with the Board finding it related to his active duty service and aggravated by his service-connected tibia fractures. The claim for hepatitis C is remanded due to inadequate medical opinions regarding its etiology.,Service connection for depressive disorder is established based on direct evidence of a current disability (depressive disorder) that was incurred during active duty service.
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