The Veteran's claims for service connection for cirrhosis of the liver and hepatitis B are remanded due to a lack of a VA examination. The examiner is requested to review all pertinent records, including service treatment records and post-service medical records, and determine if these conditions began in service or are otherwise related to service, particularly his exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claims for service connection require an evaluation of the relationship between his current cirrhosis of the liver and hepatitis B and his military service, specifically his exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The examiner is tasked with determining if these conditions are related to service based on the available medical evidence.
- Claimed conditions
- cirrhosis of the liver, hepatitis B
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Camp Lejeune water
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 3, 2019
- Citation
- 19134694
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,548 · Granted: 31% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19134694.
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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for cirrhosis of the liver has been dismissed due to their death during the pendency of the appeal.
- 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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal for increased ratings for hepatitis B and C with chronic fatigue, migraines, cervical strain with degenerative arthritis, and chronic cartilage fracture at junction of 10th and 11th right rib complex.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea is being remanded due to the submission of new and relevant evidence. The claim for a higher initial rating for hepatitis B remains denied.
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