The Veteran's cirrhosis was diagnosed in 2017, over fifty years after service. The Board found that the cirrhosis did not result from an in-service event and is not secondary to a service-connected disability.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded that the Veteran’s alcohol use disorder was not secondary to his service-connected psychiatric disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- cirrhosis
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 8, 2019
- Citation
- 19161527
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 19161527.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issue of entitlement to service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, for purposes of entitlement to dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC), as further development is necessary.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for additional development, including generating a TERA memorandum and obtaining an advisory medical opinion regarding the cause of the Veteran's death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for a liver condition to correct an error by the AOJ and ensure that all necessary medical opinions are obtained.
- Granted
Service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is granted based on in-service exposure to vinyl chloride in Camp Lejeune drinking water contributing to his cirrhosis.
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