The Veteran's claims for a higher rating for liver transplant residuals, TDIU, and SMC are being remanded due to unclear ratings and potential errors in the service connection process.
The deciding factor: There appears to be a pre-decisional error regarding the inclusion of hepatitis C in the liver transplant evaluation or its severance from service-connection.
- Claimed conditions
- liver transplant residuals, hepatitis C, cirrhosis of the liver
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 17, 2019
- Citation
- A19002056
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for hepatitis C, jaundice, hypogeusia, and hyposmia as there was no evidence of a current disability during the pendency of the claim.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board denied service connection for hepatitis C and remanded the claim for a heart disability due to insufficient evidence.
- Dismissed
The appeals for service connection for various conditions were dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for hepatitis C, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.