The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric condition, including PTSD due to MST. The Veteran's claim was not supported by competent medical evidence.,Service connection for hepatitis-C and cirrhosis of the liver were also denied as there is no credible evidence linking these conditions to service.,Pulmonary emphysema and COPD were found not related to service, with no in-service diagnosis or exposure to causative agents.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's psychiatric condition was not diagnosed during service and the VA examiner did not find a link between his current symptoms and military service. The Veteran's hepatitis-C and cirrhosis of the liver were not linked to service due to lack of evidence.,There is no credible evidence linking the Veteran’s pulmonary conditions (emphysema and COPD) to service, with no in-service diagnosis or exposure to causative agents.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric condition, Hepatitis C, Cirrhosis of the liver, Emphysema, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 29, 2019
- Citation
- 19167290
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 19167290.
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 claim for a new VA addendum opinion to determine if the Veteran's liver cancer and hepatitis C are related to his active service, including exposure to agent orange.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for several conditions, including lumbar spine degenerative arthritis and radiculopathy of the sciatic and femoral nerves, with effective dates from March 15, 2013. The Board also granted a TDIU and DEA based on unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, and hepatitis C as there was no evidence of functional impairment sufficient to warrant a higher rating.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric condition and a TBI, but denied the claim for PTSD as moot. The claims for service connection for a neck condition and back condition were remanded.
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