The Board remands the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death to obtain a medical opinion regarding whether his fatal hepatocellular carcinoma was related to his in-service asbestos exposure and other duties.
The deciding factor: A pre-decisional duty to assist error occurred as the AOJ did not obtain an adequate TERA memorandum or medical opinion, given the Veteran's conceded in-service exposure to asbestos under the PACT Act.
- Claimed conditions
- Hepatocellular carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 31, 2025
- Citation
- A25094933
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,036 · Granted: 27% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 A25094933.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for cirrhosis, hepatitis C, hepatocellular carcinoma, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), gastritis, Barrett's esophagus, and obstructive sleep apnea but dismissed the claim for an acquired psychiatric disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of the Veteran's cause of death to obtain an adequate medical opinion regarding the etiology of hepatocellular carcinoma and its relation to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has identified errors in the initial decision and requires a new VA examination to determine the nature and cause of the Veteran's hepatitis C infection, including its onset during service.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's hepatitis C, which was a causal factor in his liver cancer death, was incurred during service. As such, the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is granted.
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