The Veteran's hepatic disorders are not service-connected as they are due to alcohol abuse, and the Board finds that there is no causal relationship between his in-service fatty liver disease and his current conditions.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran’s cirrhosis was due to alcohol consumption, and the evidence shows that his fatty liver disease and alcoholic cirrhosis were diagnosed after service but related to his alcohol abuse.
- Claimed conditions
- hepatic disorder, alcoholic cirrhosis, chronic liver disease, fatty liver disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 25, 2019
- Citation
- 19149518
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
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 right ankle, left ankle, back disability, and other conditions as there is no evidence of a current disability related to the Veteran's military service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for fatty liver disease as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD with opiate/alcohol abuse disorders.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the service connection claim for fatty liver disease to correct a duty to assist error and obtain a VA medical examination.
- Dismissed
The veteran withdrew the appeals for service connection and rating issues related to various conditions, including obesity, chronic renal dysfunction/kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, Grave's disease, chronic liver disease, TMJ disorder, sleep apnea, back pain, dermatographic urticaria residuals from anthrax vaccine, and hemorrhoids.
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