The Veteran's claim for service connection for hepatitis C has been reopened. The Board finds that new and material evidence has been submitted to support the reopening of his claim. However, the Veteran’s status post appendectomy scar is not considered disabling enough to warrant a compensable evaluation. Additionally, the Veteran's claims for service connection for liver conditions (including hepatitis C and cirrhosis), neuropathy, heart condition, and TDIU are all remanded due to incomplete or missing information.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that new evidence has been submitted which relates to unestablished facts necessary to substantiate the claim of service connection for hepatitis C. However, other claims related to liver conditions (including hepatitis C and cirrhosis), neuropathy, heart condition, and TDIU are remanded due to incomplete or missing information.
- Claimed conditions
- Hepatitis C, Neuropathy, Heart Condition
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 20, 2021
- Citation
- 21023271
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 21023271.
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 a compensable initial rating for Hepatitis C, finding that the Veteran's condition was asymptomatic and did not meet the criteria for any higher rating.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's Hepatitis C with cirrhosis is related to service, and therefore grants service connection for these conditions.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's depressive disorder is granted as service-connected, with the Board finding it related to his active duty service and aggravated by his service-connected tibia fractures. The claim for hepatitis C is remanded due to inadequate medical opinions regarding its etiology.,Service connection for depressive disorder is established based on direct evidence of a current disability (depressive disorder) that was incurred during active duty service.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected Hepatitis C, lumbar DDD with strain, osteomyelitis, and loss of use of right foot disability rendered him so helpless as to be in need of regular aid and attendance. Effective October 28, 2008, the Veteran meets the criteria for SMC under various provisions.
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