Hepatitis C decisions — 2007

The Board has determined that the veteran's hepatitis B and C are not service-connected as they were due to drug abuse, which is precluded by law.

The veteran's claims for PTSD and hepatitis C are being remanded due to the need to verify his service in Vietnam, confirm stressor events, and obtain VA medical records. The case will be reviewed again after these steps.

The veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability was granted with an effective date of January 26, 1998.,The veteran's claim for service connection for hepatitis C was denied as there is no evidence of a prior claim filed before December 11, 2001.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining VA medical records and addressing both hepatitis C and secondary cirrhosis of the liver claims.

The Board has remanded the case to obtain additional evidence and determine if the veteran's hepatitis C is related to service.

The veteran's claims for service connection for thoracic myofascitis, cognitive disorder due to closed head injury, and radiculopathy secondary to lumbar spine pathology have been granted. The claims for bilateral hearing loss, degenerative joint disease of the knees, hypertension, fibromyalgia and/or chronic pain syndrome, hepatitis C, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) remain pending.

The Board found that new and material evidence had not been received to reopen the previously denied claims for hepatitis C, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, renal disease, and eye disorder.

The veteran's hepatitis C with anxiety and depression was granted a rating of 30 percent effective from July 27, 2000. The issues for increased ratings were denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate development of evidence, particularly regarding the cause of the veteran's hepatitis C.

The Board has decided that additional development is needed to determine if the veteran's current hepatitis C is related to his military service, including through blood exposure or other potential exposures during service.

The Board found no evidence of exposure to Agent Orange or other herbicides, and the veteran's diabetes mellitus was not shown within one year after service. The claims for eye disability, kidney disease, and hepatitis C were also denied as there is no direct evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board has granted service connection for hepatitis C and an effective date of June 4, 1998 for the award of service connection for post-traumatic stress disorder.

The Board has determined that there is no medical evidence linking the veteran's current hepatitis C to his service, and thus denied the claim for service connection.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 20 percent for hepatitis C, as the RO had already granted service connection with a noncompensable rating effective July 22, 2002.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development due to incomplete medical records and need for clarification on the veteran's exposure history.

The VA denied a compensable initial disability evaluation for Hepatitis C as there is no evidence of anorexia or incapacitating episodes due to the condition.

The veteran's death was attributed to liver cancer due to or as a consequence of cirrhosis, which is linked to hepatitis C. Service connection for the cause of death has been granted.

The veteran's hepatitis C was granted service connection and assigned an initial 60 percent rating effective from the date of service connection (August 30, 2002). A separate 30 percent rating for depression secondary to hepatitis C was also assigned effective September 21, 2005. The veteran's hepatitis C has been rated at a maximum of 60 percent since August 30, 2002 and at 20 percent since March 1, 2004.

The VA determined that the veteran's hepatitis C was not incurred or aggravated during active service and denied his claim for service connection.

The veteran's claims for PTSD, bilateral foot corns, and Hepatitis C were all denied. The VA found that the veteran did not have a current disability related to his service, except for asymptomatic Hepatitis C.