The Board has determined that further development is needed to address the Veteran's claims for hepatitis C, liver disease, gallbladder condition, and stomach disorder. The VA examinations conducted in August 2020 were not sufficient as they did not consider the Veteran’s reported in-service risk factors.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner failed to acknowledge or discuss the Veteran’s reports of in-service potential exposures, including eating at a restaurant in the Philippines and acquiring a tattoo, which could be relevant to his claimed conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- hepatitis C, liver disease, gallbladder condition, stomach disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 29, 2020
- Citation
- 20070393
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for hepatitis C, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for squamous cell carcinoma of the scalp, chronic kidney disease, and liver disease, subject to regulations governing payment of monetary benefits.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.