The Board has determined that the VA did not obtain a necessary VA examination before deciding the service connection claim for infectious hepatitis or its residuals. The case is being remanded to schedule an examination and provide a medical opinion on whether the Veteran currently has a hepatitis disorder or any related residuals, and if so, whether it is at least as likely as not that the current condition had its onset during military service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the VA did not obtain a necessary VA examination before deciding the claim for infectious hepatitis or its residuals.
- Claimed conditions
- infectious hepatitis, residuals of a hepatitis disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 29, 2020
- Citation
- A20016220
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,890 · Granted: 32% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 A20016220.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been submitted to support the Veteran's claims for service connection for infectious hepatitis, left tonsillar carcinoma (tonsillar cancer), and sleep apnea. The claims are being remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to unclear medical evidence regarding whether the Veteran's in-service 'infectious hepatitis' was a hepatitis B infection. The AOJ must obtain clarification from the VA clinician who provided the June 2022 VA opinions.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for liver disease, to include infectious hepatitis is granted. The Board also remanded the issue of entitlement to Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) due to inextricably intertwined with his rating decision on service connection.
- Granted
The Veteran's sleep apnea is granted as secondary to his service-connected PTSD. His left knee, right knee, and neck disorders are not found to be related to service or any other basis for service connection. Infectious hepatitis in-service is denied due to resolution of the condition.
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