Hepatitis C decisions — 2014

The Board denied the appellant's claim to reopen her husband's service connection for hepatitis C, end-stage liver disease, cirrhosis, and cirrhosis with encephalopathy due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining treatment records from the Virginia Department of Corrections regarding hepatitis C. The appeal will be reconsidered after this additional development.

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

The Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, hepatitis C, an acquired psychiatric disorder, and headaches were denied. The preponderance of the competent and credible evidence is against a finding that any of these conditions are related to military service.

The Board finds that the Veteran's service-connected PTSD did not cause or substantially contribute to his death due to multisystem organ failure, including sepsis/acinobacter pneumonia and ARDS. The primary causes of death were related to complications from endocarditis, cardiomyopathy, and liver failure.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hepatitis C is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination and additional medical records.

The Veteran's claims for higher initial ratings for hypertension and hearing loss, as well as his service connection claim for hepatitis C, are being remanded due to the need for updated VA examinations and additional medical records.

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

The Board has denied service connection for residuals of bladder cancer due to asbestos exposure.,Service connection is pending for prostate cancer and hepatitis C, both potentially related to in-service asbestos exposure.

The Board found that the Veteran's current hepatitis C is not related to his service, specifically noting that there was no evidence of a nexus between the in-service airgun injections and the development of hepatitis C. The Veteran's other risk factors for hepatitis C (such as intranasal cocaine use) were also considered.

The Board has granted service connection for Hepatitis C, finding that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether it was incurred during service. Service connection for spondylosis is denied as there is no evidence of a chronic back disability present at separation from service.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations to assess his PTSD and hepatitis C.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hepatitis C was not caused by a disease or injury in service, and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for the claims of diabetes, peripheral neuropathy, PTSD, and hepatitis C during the October 2013 hearing on appeal.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current hepatitis C is not related to his service, specifically due to a lack of objective evidence linking it to the hepatitis he was diagnosed with in-service. The VA examiner concluded that the current hepatitis C is more likely than not related to the Veteran's intravenous drug use after service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling examinations to determine the current severity of his hearing loss, PTSD, and hepatitis C.

The Veteran's appeal for an initial rating in excess of 40 percent for intervertebral disc syndrome with degenerative arthritis changes has been withdrawn. The remaining issues on appeal will be remanded for further development.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and SSA disability determination records. A VA examination will be conducted to assess the need for aid and attendance or housebound status due to service-connected disabilities. The issues of special monthly compensation (SMC), special monthly pension (SMP), and nonservice-connected pension will also be addressed.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for hepatitis C and an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD. The case is now remanded for additional development including VA examinations.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for hepatitis C and granted it, finding that new evidence received since the March 2006 rating decision is sufficient to reopen the case.