The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the cause of the Veteran's death and whether his service-connected PTSD caused or aggravated his liver failure.
The deciding factor: An updated medical opinion is needed to determine if the Veteran’s hepatitis C and other causes of death are related to his military service, including presumed herbicide exposure in Vietnam.
- Claimed conditions
- Acute renal failure, Hepatorenal syndrome, Decompensated cirrhosis due to hepatitis C, Hepatocellular carcinoma, Hepatic encephalopathy, Moderate protein calorie nutrition
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 15, 2019
- Citation
- 19163186
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 19163186.
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 the cause of the Veteran's death and entitlement to Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 due to duty to assist errors, including the need for a medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's causes of death.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of the Veteran's cause of death to obtain an adequate medical opinion regarding the etiology of hepatocellular carcinoma and its relation to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death to obtain a medical opinion regarding whether his fatal hepatocellular carcinoma was related to his in-service asbestos exposure and other duties.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for the cause of death and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) to correct a pre-decisional duty-to-assist error, as the VA examinations are inadequate.
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