The Veteran's hepatitis C has been granted a 100% disability rating effective April 25, 2005. The Board also remanded the issues of service connection for GERD as secondary to service-connected disabilities and entitlement to an increased rating for lumbosacral strain prior to July 5, 2017.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's hepatitis C has been productive of near constant and debilitating symptoms including fatigue, malaise, nausea, vomiting, and weight loss sustained for three months. The Board found that the criteria for a 100% disability rating were met based on these findings.
- Claimed conditions
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Hepatitis C, Loss of use of right foot, status post shell fragment wound with fractured tibia and history of osteomyelitis and osteoarthritis, Lumbosacral strain
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 16, 2018
- Citation
- 18142186
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 18142186.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the Veteran's claims for additional VA examinations to properly evaluate the current severity of her disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matters for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records and conducting VA examinations.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for cirrhosis, hepatitis C, hepatocellular carcinoma, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), gastritis, Barrett's esophagus, and obstructive sleep apnea but dismissed the claim for an acquired psychiatric disability.
- Partly granted
The Board denied the claims for an initial compensable rating for left ear sensorineural hearing loss, service connection for a right ear hearing loss disability, and a left eye disorder. However, it granted service connection for a back disability and radiculopathy of both lower extremities as secondary to the back disability.
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