The Board has remanded the issue of service connection for a liver disability, including cirrhosis of the liver and primary biliary cirrhosis. The Veteran is a Vietnam Era Veteran with verified service in the Republic of Vietnam, but there is no evidence of herbicide exposure. A VA examination is needed to determine if his liver disability is related to military service or any service-connected conditions.
The deciding factor: The Board found insufficient evidence to establish a connection between the Veteran's liver disability and military service due to lack of herbicide exposure, and remanded for further development including a VA examination.
- Claimed conditions
- cirrhosis of the liver, primary biliary cirrhosis
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19168307
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 19168307.
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.
- Dismissed
The appeals for service connection for various conditions were dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for cirrhosis of the liver, finding that it was due to herbicide exposure during the Veteran's service in Vietnam.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial rating of 40 percent for hepatitis C and cirrhosis of the liver, but denied earlier effective dates for service connection and a higher rating for tinnitus.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for cirrhosis of the liver and hepatitis B, finding no evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's military service.
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