The Veteran's HIV was not incurred in service, as there is no evidence of the disease during his active duty. The Board denied service connection for HIV on a direct basis due to insufficient medical evidence linking the condition to his military service.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence showing that HIV was present or aggravated during service, and the Veteran's relationship with an HIV-positive individual continued after service without any indication of pre-AIDS infection.
- Claimed conditions
- Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 26, 2018
- Citation
- 18145176
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 18145176.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has denied service connection for treatment purposes only for PTSD and remanded the claim of service connection for treatment purposes only for HIV.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran is found to be eligible for enrollment in the PCAFC program due to his severe and complex medical conditions, which require personal care services.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran contracted HIV during his active duty service and grants entitlement to service connection for this condition.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has denied service connection for HIV and rhabdomyolysis due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's active duty from April 1987 to August 1987. The Board found no current chronic disability, no in-service event, injury, or disease, and no link between a current disability and service.
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