Hepatitis C decisions — 2009

The Board found that the Veteran's hepatitis C was not incurred in or aggravated by his active service and denied the claim.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hepatitis C was not incurred as a result of military service and denied his claim.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings, finding no new and material evidence to reopen his hepatitis C claim and concluding that the available documentation did not suggest a blood transfusion in service.

The Board has remanded the case due to new evidence received after the issuance of the September 2007 SOC and because the Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder is secondary to his hepatitis C.

The Veteran's HCV was not incurred in or aggravated by his military service. The Board found that the most likely cause of his HCV is intravenous drug use, which occurred after he left active duty.

The Veteran's service connection claim for hepatitis C is granted as the disease was incurred in active duty due to exposure and injuries during service.

The Board found no evidence to support the Veteran's claim that his hepatitis C was incurred during service, and denied service connection.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was found to be incurred within one year of separation from his first period of active service, and thus is presumed to have been incurred in service. The Veteran's hepatitis C is presumed to have been incurred during service due to the lack of any scientific evidence to document transmission through airgun injectors.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a right knee disability secondary to his service-connected left knee disability has been reopened. The Veteran is also granted an increased rating of 30 percent for hepatitis C, effective from the date of the decision.

The Board has granted reimbursement for the prescription drug haloperidol and denied coverage of the prescription drugs Merislon, Sibelium, Serc, and Methycobal for the Veteran's service-connected Meniere's disease under Foreign Medical Benefits. The breast muscle toner request was also denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hepatitis C and depression, finding that there was no clear diagnosis of psychiatric disability other than depression. The preponderance of evidence did not support a finding that hepatitis C or any related conditions were incurred in service.

The Board denied the Veteran's request to reopen his claim for service connection for hepatitis C, finding that no new and material evidence had been received.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for low back disability and hepatitis C, finding that new evidence did not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim of service connection for a low back disability. The Board also found that there is no persuasive evidence linking hepatitis C to active duty service.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for multiple undiagnosed illness-related disabilities, including hepatitis C. The VA has been requested to obtain medical records and SSA information to assist in determining the etiology of his liver disease and other gastrointestinal complaints.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hepatitis C, finding that there was no competent evidence linking his current disability to military service or any recognized risk factor.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA examination reports and outpatient treatment records. The claims for increased ratings for hepatitis C and cirrhosis are inextricably intertwined with the TDIU claim.

The Board found no evidence to support the Veteran's claim that he contracted Hepatitis C (HCV) as a result of VA treatment, including surgery for left total hip replacement. The Board concluded that there was insufficient medical evidence to link HCV to the February 1990 surgery and denied both service connection and compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151.

The Board found that the Veteran's hepatitis C was not incurred in or aggravated by active service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current diagnosis of hepatitis C is not related to his active service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's hypertension is found to be aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus, and hepatitis C is found not to be related to service.