The Board has remanded the case due to non-compliance with previous directives, specifically regarding a medical opinion on whether the liver condition that caused the Veteran's death is related to exposure to herbicide agents in service.
The deciding factor: The VA needs an addendum opinion from an appropriate clinician regarding whether the liver condition (including any vasculitis or tumor) that caused the Veteran’s death was at least as likely as not caused by exposure to herbicide agents in service.
- Claimed conditions
- liver abscess, liver aneurysm/hemorrhage
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 25, 2020
- Citation
- 20075373
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 20075373.
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 has determined that there is no evidence of a liver abscess in the Veteran's medical records, and thus compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for a liver abscess is denied.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various disabilities, including abnormal weight loss, a bladder disability, blockage of the neck arteries, and others. The evidence did not support a finding that any of these conditions were related to the Veteran's active service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bone cancer, liver abscess, shortness of breath, memory problems, PTSD, diabetes mellitus type II, multiple myeloma, thrombocytopenia, and hypertension. The Veteran was granted service connection for hypertension, multiple myeloma, and thrombocytopenia under the PACT Act effective August 10, 2022.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a liver disease, finding that there is no evidence linking his current liver condition to his active service or to his service-connected coccidioidomycosis. The Board also remanded the matter of assigning a compensable rating for his service-connected coccidioidomycosis.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.