The Board remands the claim for a liver disability, to include hepatitis B and fatty liver disease, as additional evidence was submitted outside of the allowed window and an examination is needed to address the Veteran's contentions.
The deciding factor: Remand required due to new evidence received since previous denial and failure to obtain necessary medical opinion regarding service connection theories.
- Claimed conditions
- hepatitis B, fatty liver disease
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 9, 2025
- Citation
- A25042117
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 right ankle, left ankle, back disability, and other conditions as there is no evidence of a current disability related to the Veteran's military service.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for fatty liver disease as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD with opiate/alcohol abuse disorders.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the service connection claim for fatty liver disease to correct a duty to assist error and obtain a VA medical examination.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a neck disability, back disability, GERD, hepatitis B, atopic dermatitis, and OSA. Tinnitus was denied.
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