The Veteran's claim for an increased rating of liver disease, which was granted on June 10, 2009, is denied. The effective date for service connection for liver disease remains at June 10, 2009, and the award of SMC based on need for aid and attendance (A&A) also remains at June 10, 2009.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not support an earlier effective date for service connection or SMC due to lack of indication that liver disease was related to military service or aggravated by a service-connected condition prior to June 10, 2009. The Veteran's need for aid and attendance is attributed to his liver disease rather than his PTSD.
- Claimed conditions
- Liver Disease, Hepatitis C Virus
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- December 18, 2024
- Citation
- A24084750
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation A24084750.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's IBS and liver disease are being remanded for further examination and opinion as they may be related to Gulf War service exposure.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to unresolved issues regarding his claimed conditions and their relationship to his military service. The claims include PTSD, emphysema, liver disease, and microscopic hematuria.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection and compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for liver disease, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for causation or proximate cause as per VA regulations.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's cause of death was attributed to sepsis due to end-stage liver disease, which is not related to his service. The Board found no evidence that the Veteran had heart disease at the time of his death and denied service connection for the cause of death.
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