The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hepatitis C, Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma as secondary to hepatitis C, and diabetes mellitus, type II as secondary to hepatitis C due to insufficient clarification of the etiology of the Veteran's hepatitis C. The case will be returned for an addendum opinion from an appropriate clinician.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the August 2016 VA examination opinion was not sufficiently clarified regarding the likely etiology of the Veteran's hepatitis C, specifically due to insufficient discussion of the March 1974 service treatment record and the post-service 1976 motor vehicle accident findings.
- Claimed conditions
- hepatitis C, Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, diabetes mellitus, type II
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 26, 2019
- Citation
- 19150083
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 remands the claims for service connection for hypertension and diabetes mellitus to obtain further medical opinions regarding their potential relationship to toxic exposures during active service.
- 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 remands the claims for service connection for right foot, left elbow, left hip, left ankle, and diabetes mellitus to obtain additional medical evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board denied service connection for hepatitis C and remanded the claim for a heart disability due to insufficient evidence.
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