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.
The deciding factor: The existing medical opinions are inadequate as they do not address certain aspects of the Veteran's health history, including diabetes control, alcohol use in relation to his psychiatric disability, and the cumulative effects of his service-connected conditions on overall health.
- Claimed conditions
- Hepatocellular carcinoma
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 7, 2025
- Citation
- A25097280
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 845 · Granted: 39% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation A25097280.
What this means for you
A remand sends an issue back for more development, often a new examination or missing records. It does not award the benefit or decide the final outcome. The original decision explains the additional work ordered.
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 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.
- 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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