Hepatitis C Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient rationale in the VA examiner's opinion regarding whether the Veteran's hepatitis C is related to his service, specifically air gun inoculations. The Veteran needs a new examination and medical opinion.

The Veteran's appeals have been dismissed as he has withdrawn all his claims on appeal.

The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection. The issues of increased rating for right knee disability, service connection for hearing loss, and service connection for hepatitis C are remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to additional development being needed on the claim for service connection for hepatitis C. The Veteran's representative referenced an article that needs to be provided, and if it is, a VA gastroenterologist or infectious disease specialist will provide an addendum opinion.

The Veteran's death pension and accrued benefits claim is being remanded due to the need for further development, including verification of his U.S. Navy Reserve service and obtaining his medical records from Balboa Naval Hospital in 1979.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including sarcoidosis and neuritis. The denial was based on a lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service or service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current hepatitis C was incurred in service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board found that the Veteran's current hepatitis C disability is not related to his military service, specifically the use of air gun inoculations during service. The examiner concluded that the Veteran's hepatitis C was less likely than not incurred in or caused by his military service.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims, including obtaining medical records and scheduling examinations. The issues of service connection for a right shoulder disorder, hepatitis C, tinnitus, erectile dysfunction secondary to PTSD, and an increased evaluation for PTSD are being remanded.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected granulomatous hepatitis consistent with sarcoidosis with bilateral hilar adenopathy is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining outstanding VA treatment records and scheduling a new VA examination.

The Veteran's headache disorder is found to be proximately due to or the result of his service-connected tinnitus. The Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including referral to the Director of VA's Compensation Service for consideration of an extraschedular rating for bilateral hearing loss and a TDIU determination. The Veteran is seeking initial compensation ratings for her service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hepatitis C was incurred in service, granting her claim for service connection.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hepatitis C and an acquired psychiatric disorder, as well as his claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss. The Veteran was not granted any of these claims.

The Board has remanded the case to the RO for further development and adjudicative action due to a lack of clarity on whether the Veteran's hepatitis C is related to service. The VA examiner will need to provide an addendum opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's hepatitis C, specifically addressing his in-service high risk sexual practices.

The Veteran's hepatitis C is currently rated at 60 percent, and the Board has determined that a higher rating may be warranted. The TDIU claim is also pending.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for PTSD, hepatitis C, and major depressive disorder. The claim for PTSD was reopened but still denied due to lack of a verified in-service stressor. The claim for hepatitis C was not reopened as new evidence did not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim. Major depressive disorder was also denied.

The Veteran's spine disabilities, specifically degenerative joint disease of the thoracic and lumbar spine, are rated at 20 percent prior to July 9, 2009, and 40 percent beginning from that date. The Veteran also has right lower extremity radiculopathy as a neurological manifestation of his spine disability, which is separately rated at 10 percent prior to July 9, 2009, and 20 percent thereafter.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, hepatitis C, an acquired psychiatric disorder (claimed as anxiety and depression), erectile dysfunction, peripheral vascular disease of the lower extremities, and several types of neuropathy. The decision was based on a lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has determined that further development is needed for the Veteran's claims, including obtaining missing documents and VA treatment records, as well as SSA disability benefits records. The Veteran will be scheduled for a VA examination to determine if he suffers from current bilateral arm, knee, lumbar spine, hepatitis C, and skin conditions.