The Veteran's spouse is denied eligibility for a VA home loan guaranty benefit due to the absence of service-connected disabilities and the death not being caused by a service-connected condition.
The deciding factor: The Veteran did not have any service-connected disabilities at the time of his death, nor was he in receipt of compensation for a service-connected disability rated totally disabling.
- Claimed conditions
- hepatic encephalopathy, liver cirrhosis, gastrointestinal hemorrhage
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 2, 2026
- Citation
- A26000098
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 A26000098.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- 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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for back disability, gastrointestinal condition, gynecomastia, kidney lesion, and liver cirrhosis due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service. The case is remanded for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty-to-assist error that occurred prior to the rating decision on appeal. The Veteran's fatty liver disease, post-liver transplant, is being remanded for an addendum opinion addressing the etiology of his liver disorders before and after his liver transplant.
- Dismissed
Your appeal has been dismissed due to the Veteran's death. The claims for service connection on all listed conditions are not before the Board.
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