Hepatitis C decisions — 2008

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete verification of stressors and exposure, as well as unclear medical evidence regarding hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has decided that the veteran's claim for service connection of hepatitis C should be remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding its etiology.

The Board has remanded the case for further action, including scheduling a Travel Board hearing.

The Board has remanded the case for a video hearing due to requests from the veteran and his representative.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected PTSD did not contribute to his cause of death, which was due to myocardial infarction, hypertension, and end stage renal disease. The VA physician opinions supported this conclusion.

The Board has granted service connection for hepatitis-C infection and thrombocytopenia, finding that the veteran's current conditions are due to disease or injury incurred in service. The appeal is based on new evidence.

The veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent, but the Board finds that it does not meet the criteria for a higher rating due to lack of occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas.,The veteran's hepatitis C has been rated as noncompensable. The VA examinations did not show incapacitating episodes or anorexia, which are required for a compensable rating.

The Board has remanded the case to the RO for further action, including seeking another medical opinion and considering the veteran's lay assertions regarding in-service exposure.

The veteran's service-connected hepatitis C has not resulted in any additional disability warranting a higher evaluation.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the veteran's hepatitis C disability. The issues of service connection for hepatitis C, bilateral hearing loss, and asbestosis are pending.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have hepatitis C which could be attributed to active service and therefore denied the claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the veteran's Hepatitis C was not incurred in or aggravated during active service and denied his claim for service connection.

The VA Board found that the veteran does not have hepatitis C related to his service and denied the claim.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete service medical records and the need for a VA examination to determine if Hepatitis C is related to service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to concerns about the appellant's possible compensably disabling cirrhosis of the liver within one year of separation from active duty, and the possibility that he may have contracted a form of viral hepatitis at that time.

The veteran's claims for nonservice-connected disability pension benefits, service connection for post-traumatic brain syndrome, hepatitis C, chronic fatigue syndrome, and depression were all denied. The claim of service connection for post-traumatic brain syndrome was not reopened due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hepatitis C is related to his active military service and grants the claim for service connection.

The veteran's medical conditions, including hypertension, hepatitis C, lumbar disc disease, gunshot wound residuals of the right leg, gallstones, and an acquired psychiatric disorder, do not render him permanently and totally disabled for pension purposes.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hepatitis C is service-connected due to a risk factor associated with his combat experiences, and thus grants the claim.

The veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities is being remanded for further development, including obtaining a medical opinion regarding his ability to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.