The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a VA opinion regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's alcohol abuse, which may be related to his service. The issues of death pension benefits are also inextricably intertwined with this claim.
The deciding factor: The Board found that there is insufficient evidence to determine whether the Veteran’s chronic alcohol abuse was related to his service, necessitating a VA opinion on the matter.
- Claimed conditions
- chronic alcohol abuse, hepatic cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 26, 2019
- Citation
- 19188400
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 19188400.
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 hepatocellular carcinoma as the evidence did not support a link to in-service exposure or injury.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for hepatocellular carcinoma, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between the condition and his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and effective dates, as well as service connection for various conditions.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for the Veteran's cause of death, which was due to hepatic cirrhosis that was found to be proximately due to or a result of his service-connected generalized anxiety disorder.
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