The Board has determined that the Veteran's autoimmune hepatitis, which caused his death in September 2006, was related to service. As a result, service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death is granted.
The deciding factor: The evidence is in relative equipoise on whether an in-service or post-service factor caused the Veteran's autoimmune hepatitis, and the Board finds that it was related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Autoimmune hepatitis, Hepatic failure
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 2, 2018
- Citation
- 18140144
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 18140144.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that there are duty to assist errors in the current decision and remands the case for further development, including obtaining an ILER and a medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's cause of death.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for autoimmune hepatitis, rheumatoid arthritis, a gastrointestinal disorder, an acquired psychiatric disorder, and an internal bleeding disorder as there was no evidence of current disabilities or functional impairments related to these conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied the appeal for service connection for cause of death due to lack of a timely substantive appeal. The claim was reopened based on new and material evidence, but service connection could not be established as there was no in-service incurrence or medical nexus between any of the conditions that caused the Veteran's death and his military service.
- Denied
The Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected condition, and there is no evidence of any service connection for the cause of his death. The Board denied both the claim for service connection for the cause of death and the request for burial benefits.
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