The Board denied service connection for pancreatitis, finding no current disability and concluding that the Veteran's diagnosis of acute alcohol-induced pancreatitis resolved without residuals by January 2009. The Board also denied secondary service connection as there was insufficient evidence linking the pancreatitis to his service-connected ulcerative colitis.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's pancreatitis was not a current disability and was due to alcohol consumption, which is considered willful misconduct in VA claims.
- Claimed conditions
- pancreatitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 29, 2020
- Citation
- 20007568
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for pancreatitis, GERD, and a dental disorder as secondary to the Veteran's throat cancer, but denied an initial compensable rating for throat cancer under DC 6819. The Board also granted a 20 percent rating for urinary frequency as a residual of prostate cancer.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial compensable disability rating for pancreatitis as there was no evidence of a recurring attack of typical severe abdominal pain or episodes requiring ongoing outpatient medical treatment.
- Granted
The Board granted an initial 50 percent rating for the Veteran's cirrhosis of the liver with portal hypertension, Wilson's disease, gastrointestinal bleeding, and pancreatitis based on a history of one episode of hemorrhage from portal gastropathy.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for pancreatitis and remanded the claim for sleep apnea, to include as secondary to sinusitis.
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