Hepatitis C decisions — 2012

The Board found no evidence of hepatitis C or an acquired psychiatric disorder during service and determined that the current conditions are not related to military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for sinusitis, an initial rating greater than 30 percent for status-post liver transplant with hepatitis C, and earlier effective dates for scar residuals of a liver transplant. The Veteran was granted service connection for bilateral knee disabilities in January 2009 but did not request earlier effective dates.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for hepatitis C has been dismissed due to his death.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, as well as his request for a TDIU. The issues of reduction in rating were found to have been properly processed.

The Board found no evidence to support the Veteran's claims for service connection for hepatitis C and an acquired psychiatric disorder, claimed as PTSD. The Veteran's assertions regarding in-service stressors were deemed not credible.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and hepatitis C were denied. The claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities was also denied.

The Board has determined that the submitted evidence is not new and material to reopen the claim of service connection for residuals of hepatitis, including hepatitis A, B, and C.

The Veteran's claim for nonservice-connected pension is being remanded due to the need for additional evidence and a VA examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hepatitis C is not related to his military service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to allow for a videoconference hearing before the Board of Veterans' Appeals.

The Board has remanded the claim due to a need for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a medical examination. The Veteran's service connection claim will be reconsidered after these actions.

The Board found that the appellant's character of discharge was under dishonorable conditions due to willful and persistent misconduct, which barred VA benefits. Service connection for alcoholism and hepatitis C were denied as they did not meet the criteria.

The Board found that the Veteran's hepatitis C was not shown to be related to service or his service-connected hemorrhoids, and thus denied the claim for service connection.

The Veteran does not currently have hepatitis C, and the evidence does not support a finding that he had it during service. As such, his claim for service connection is denied.

The Veteran's death was not caused by VA treatment, and the Board finds that hepatitis C did not proximately cause or contribute to his death. Therefore, DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 are denied.

The Board has determined that the appellant's hepatitis C was not incurred in service and is not related to his active duty.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hepatitis C was incurred during his active military service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for erectile dysfunction and hepatitis C are inextricably intertwined, as the March 2010 VA genitourinary examiner opined that the Veteran's hepatitis C was related to his erectile dysfunction. Therefore, these issues must be remanded for further development.

The VA expert medical opinion established that the Veteran's hepatitis C is as likely as not etiologically related to needle sticks in service, which were part of his military occupational specialty of dental specialist. As a result, the Board granted service connection for hepatitis C.

The Board finds that the Veteran's service-connected orthopedic disabilities have met the schedular criteria for TDIU throughout the pendency of this appeal, and therefore grants entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.