Liver disease (hepatitis, cirrhosis) decisions — 2002

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection due to lack of credible supporting evidence and clear and unmistakable evidence regarding preexisting conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension, but denied all other claims. The veteran's hypertension is currently rated as 10 percent disabling.

The Board denied the veteran's applications to reopen his claims for service connection for a lung condition and hepatitis, finding no new and material evidence to support these claims.

The Board found that new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen the claim for service connection for hepatitis, as the additional evidence received since the last final denial was not significant enough to support a reopening of the claim.

The case is being remanded for further development, including obtaining VA clinical records and determining the nature and severity of the veteran's service-connected cirrhosis of the liver.

The veteran's claims for service connection for foot fungus and hepatitis were denied, as well as his requests for increased ratings for tinnitus and hearing loss. The RO found no evidence of these conditions in service records or a link to service.

The Board denied the claim, finding that the evidence did not support the appellant's contention that VA treatment caused or hastened the veteran's death due to lung cancer, diabetes, hepatitis B, and pancreatic cancer.

The Board granted service connection for chronic viral hepatitis and assigned a 100% disability evaluation effective from May 21, 2002. The veteran's claim was reopened in December 29, 1997, after submission of new evidence.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hepatitis C was incurred during active service, resolving all reasonable doubt in his favor.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder and granted an effective date of January 24, 1997 for his total and permanent disability pension rating.

The Board found that the veteran's hypertension, hepatitis C, and splenomegaly did not result from VA hospitalization or medical/surgical treatment in April 1990. The claims were denied.

The veteran is entitled to special monthly pension at the housebound rate due to a single permanent disability rated as 100 percent disabling (Hodgkin's disease) and additional disabilities ratable at 60 percent or more.

The Board found that the veteran's hepatitis was incurred as a result of his own abuse of drugs during service and denied the claim.

The Board denied the veteran's claim of service connection for hepatitis and aplastic anemia, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board denied service connection for residuals of a left knee injury and hepatitis C, but granted service connection for residuals of an avulsion fracture of the left cuboid bone. The initial disability rating for residuals of a left ankle injury was increased to 10 percent.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 due to VA treatment in April 1989, finding that hepatitis C infection was a reasonably foreseeable event and not caused by fault or an unforeseeable event.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected disabilities did not cause or contribute substantially to his death. The appellant argued that her husband's psychiatric condition caused his respiratory failure and pneumonia, but the Board concluded that his anxiety disorder and depression were not significant factors in his death.

The Board has denied the appellant's claims for service connection for a pulmonary disorder, gastrointestinal disorder, sleep apnea, and hepatitis. The Board found that there was no evidence of chronic conditions in service or for many years thereafter.

The veteran's death was not caused by VA hospital care, treatment, or examination. The Board denied the DIC and accrued benefits claims.

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