The Veteran's cirrhosis of the liver is granted as secondary to service-connected PTSD with alcohol abuse disorder.,Service connection for prostate cancer and right hand disorders are denied.,Service connection for hypertension, residuals of frostbite, and headache disorder are remanded due to insufficient evidence.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's cirrhosis is found to be secondary to his service-connected PTSD with alcohol abuse disorder. The medical evidence supports this finding as the Veteran’s substance abuse was a manifestation of his psychiatric condition.,There is no evidence linking prostate cancer or right hand disorders directly to service, and thus service connection cannot be granted for these conditions.,The remanded issues require further examination and opinion regarding whether hypertension, residuals of frostbite, and headache disorder are secondary to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD with alcohol abuse disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- cirrhosis of the liver, prostate cancer, right hand disorder, hypertension (HTN), residuals of frostbite, headache disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 4, 2019
- Citation
- 19168427
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 19168427.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, visual impairment, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction due to lack of exposure to herbicide agents during service. The Veteran's claims were not granted.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for prostate cancer, bone cancer, and lymph node cancer has been granted. The prostate cancer is presumed due to herbicide agent exposure during service at RTAFB Takhli. Bone cancer is secondary to the service-connected prostate cancer. Lymph node cancer is also considered secondary to prostate cancer.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, ischemic heart disease, right lower extremity peripheral artery disease, left lower extremity peripheral artery disease, and hypertension as the evidence did not establish an in-service event or exposure to herbicide agents.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has granted service connection for prostate cancer but remanded the claim for PTSD due to insufficient verification of stressor incidents.
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