The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hepatitis C, cirrhosis of the liver, ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, and thrombocytopenia due to hepatitis C. The VA is instructed to obtain records related to a blood transfusion and/or skin graft at Long Beach Naval Hospital in the 1970s and provide an opinion on whether these conditions are related to service.
The deciding factor: The claims for service connection are remanded because they are inextricably intertwined with the claim for hepatitis C, which remains pending. The VA is instructed to obtain records of a potential blood transfusion and skin graft during service and provide an opinion on their relationship to the Veteran's conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- hepatitis C, cirrhosis of the liver, ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, thrombocytopenia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20029482
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 20029482.
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.
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The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for blood cancer, leukemia, eye disorder, myelodysplastic syndrome, and thrombocytopenia due to a lack of evidence showing these conditions were incurred or aggravated by his military service. The case is remanded for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for COPD, PTSD, hepatitis C, TDIU, and temporary total disability evaluation due to a failure to address his timely request for higher-level review of the July 2018 rating decision.
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The Board has decided to remand the claims for diabetes, gum disease, hypertension, orthopedic foot disorder, left shoulder disorder, right shoulder disorder, hepatitis C, skin disorder of the feet (claimed as trench foot), and an acquired psychiatric disorder (claimed as depression and anxiety) due to errors in duty to assist.
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