The Board found that the Veteran's portal vein hypertension, esophageal varices, and hematemesis did not manifest in service or within one year of separation and were not related to service.
The deciding factor: There was no evidence showing a diagnosis of portal vein thrombosis or esophageal varices prior to service, and the VA examiner opined that these conditions preexisted service. The Veteran's active military service did not cause his condition.
- Claimed conditions
- portal vein hypertension, esophageal varices, hematemesis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 30, 2016
- Citation
- 1639779
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 1639779.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for hepatitis C and its secondary effects on other conditions, including cirrhosis of the liver, diabetes mellitus type II, esophageal varices, hepatic encephalopathy, and splenomegaly.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's cirrhosis of the liver, hypertension, lupus, esophageal varices status post ligation, and kidney stones and urinary tract infection are all found to be related to her service-connected Hepatitis C. The Board has determined that further development is needed for the remaining issues.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for liver cancer, diabetes mellitus, esophageal varices, and hypertension as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected hepatitis C with cirrhosis of the liver. The appeal for cirrhosis of the liver was dismissed due to a full and complete grant of benefits. Service connection for GERD and a gastrointestinal disorder was denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for hepatic steatosis and esophageal varices to obtain a medical opinion from an examiner well-versed in Camp Lejeune contaminated water matters.
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