The Veteran's death was attributed to his liver cancer, which is linked to Hepatitis C. The Board is remanded to determine if the Veteran’s PTSD may have contributed to or exacerbated his heroin use, leading to his Hepatitis C.
The deciding factor: The VA needs to obtain a medical opinion on whether the Veteran's PTSD may have caused or aggravated his heroin use, which could have led to his Hepatitis C.
- Claimed conditions
- Hepatitis C, Liver cancer (hepatocelluar carcinoma), PTSD
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 16, 2019
- Citation
- 19154733
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 19154733.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder, and somatic symptom disorder, as well as presumptive service connection for basal cell carcinoma under the PACT Act. Service connection was denied for chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, right restless leg syndrome, left restless leg syndrome, an increased rating for psychiatric disorder, bilateral hearing loss, a left forehead surgical scar, and allergic rhinitis.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's PTSD was granted a maximum disability rating of 100 percent effective December 12, 2022. The ratings for migraines and IBS with GERD were restored from noncompensable to their previous levels.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder to ensure a proper examination and etiology opinion are provided.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, as the Veteran did not have a diagnosis of PTSD or any other psychiatric disorder during the appeal period.
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