The Board denied service connection for cirrhosis of the liver and hepatitis B, finding no evidence linking these conditions to the Veteran's military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner opined that it was less likely than not that the Veteran's diagnosed hepatitis and subsequent cirrhosis were related to his service, including herbicide exposure, due to the viral nature of hepatitis.
- Claimed conditions
- cirrhosis of the liver, hepatitis B
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 8, 2025
- Citation
- A25105405
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,272 · Granted: 31% (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 A25105405.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for cirrhosis of the liver has been dismissed due to their death during the pendency of the appeal.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for hepatitis C and its secondary effects on other conditions, including cirrhosis of the liver, diabetes mellitus type II, esophageal varices, hepatic encephalopathy, and splenomegaly.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal for increased ratings for hepatitis B and C with chronic fatigue, migraines, cervical strain with degenerative arthritis, and chronic cartilage fracture at junction of 10th and 11th right rib complex.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea is being remanded due to the submission of new and relevant evidence. The claim for a higher initial rating for hepatitis B remains denied.
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