The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a lower abdominal disability, including cirrhosis, hepatitis C, pancreatitis, and a stomach condition, finding that there is no evidence to support a causal relationship between these conditions and his military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded that the Veteran’s disorders are more likely caused by post-military alcohol use and trauma, rather than any in-service injury or illness.
- Claimed conditions
- cirrhosis, hepatitis C, pancreatitis, stomach condition
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 26, 2019
- Citation
- 19150106
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 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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for hepatitis C, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a stomach condition, as it is caused and/or aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected lumbosacral strain.
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