The Veteran's service connection claims for hepatitis C and cirrhosis of the liver are being remanded due to a duty to assist error. The examiner will need to determine if there is a relationship between the Veteran’s active duty service and his current disabilities.
The deciding factor: There was an error in the initial decision regarding the duty to assist, which requires further examination to establish a relationship between the Veteran's active duty service and his current disabilities.
- Claimed conditions
- hepatitis C, cirrhosis of the liver
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 22, 2020
- Citation
- A20019195
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 A20019195.
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 hepatitis C, jaundice, hypogeusia, and hyposmia as there was no evidence of a current disability during the pendency of the claim.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board denied service connection for hepatitis C and remanded the claim for a heart disability due to insufficient evidence.
- Dismissed
The appeals for service connection for various conditions were dismissed due to the Veteran's death.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for hepatitis C, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor.
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