Hepatitis C decisions — 2016

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

The Board has remanded the case for issuance of a Statement of the Case and readjudication of the claims on appeal, including whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen previously denied claims of entitlement to service connection for right knee disorder, left knee disorder, right foot disorder, left foot disorder, and hepatitis C.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to a scheduling conflict with his employment, and he has requested rescheduling of the video-conference hearing.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hepatitis C is not related to his service or any service-connected disability, and therefore denied the claim for service connection.

The Board found that the Veteran's hepatitis C is not related to his military service, including any contaminated vaccinations.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD), hepatitis-C, disability of the feet to include bilateral athlete's foot, and right hand/thumb disability were denied. The appeal is not about service connection at all.

The Board finds the evidence in equipoise as to whether the Veteran requires regular aid and attendance of another due to his disabilities, including from his back disorder and left ankle fracture.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim of service connection for hepatitis C and remanded other claims on appeal. The effective date remains to be determined.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling the Veteran for a VA examination to determine if his hepatitis C and right ankle disability are related to service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining records from Social Security Administration and verifying the Veteran's exposure to hepatitis C during service. The examiner will provide an opinion on whether it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran contracted hepatitis C during active service and if so, whether it caused or aggravated his death.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claim for service connection for hepatitis C, including an examination to address whether his current condition is related to presumed herbicide exposure during service.

The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection, and his hepatitis C claim is remanded for additional development. The TDIU claim is also remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss of the right ear, asbestosis, asthma, and chronic headaches have been granted.,Service connection has also been established for a pre-existing condition (childhood asthma) that was aggravated by service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hepatitis C is related to his service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is being remanded due to his failure to report for a VA examination and because the issue of an initial increased rating for hepatitis C is inextricably intertwined with the TDIU claim.

The Board finds that the Veteran has PTSD due to multiple traumas experienced during Vietnam, including fearing for his life and the lives of those around him. The Veteran's symptoms include nightmares, flashbacks, avoidance of reminders of the trauma, emotional numbing, anger and irritability, sleep disturbance, an exaggerated startle response, and hypervigilance.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have hepatitis C or a skin disability that is related to his military service, including exposure to herbicides. The claim for hepatitis C was denied as it is less likely due to his military service.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for hepatitis C was denied as the evidence did not show intermittent fatigue, malaise, and anorexia or incapacitating episodes with symptoms such as fatigue, malaise, nausea, vomiting, anorexia, arthralgia, and right upper quadrant pain.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder to include as secondary to hepatitis C was denied. The VA examiner concluded that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder is not related to active duty service or his service-connected hepatitis C.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for recurrent hepatitis to include acute hepatitis residuals, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination.

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