The Board has decided that additional development is needed for the claim of service connection for the cause of the Veteran’s death, as a medical opinion is required to determine if his fatal hepatitis C, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma may be related to his presumed exposure to herbicides during service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there was insufficient evidence to establish a nexus between the Veteran's fatal conditions and his service, specifically due to the lack of documented treatment in service. However, as the Veteran has verified service in Vietnam and his exposure to herbicide agents is conceded, a medical opinion is needed to determine if these conditions are related to his presumed exposure.
- Claimed conditions
- hepatitis C, cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- Burn pits / airborne hazards
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 25, 2019
- Citation
- 19149216
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,088 · Granted: 33% (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 19149216.
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 has expanded the scope of the claim for major depression to encompass any mental health disability raised by the record and has remanded six issues for additional development.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for hepatocellular carcinoma, which is secondary to hepatitis C, has been dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was not caused by or substantially contributed to by any service-connected disability, and thus denied the claim for service connection for cause of death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has dismissed the appeal for accrued benefits and has remanded the issue of service connection for cause of death, as there was a duty to assist error related to obtaining a medical nexus opinion regarding in-service herbicide agent exposure.
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