Liver disease (hepatitis, cirrhosis) decisions — 2003

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hepatitis, peripheral vascular disease, and thyroidectomy as a result of exposure to ionizing radiation. The evidence does not support these claims.

The Board has determined that the veteran's non-alcoholic steatohepatitis was made worse by his service-connected diabetes mellitus and thus warrants service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, finding insufficient evidence to establish a link between any disorder and his military service.

The veteran's claims for hepatitis C, pancreatitis, and PTSD are being remanded due to incomplete development.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for Hepatitis, finding that new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen the claim.

The Board denied the claim of entitlement to service connection for the cause of death due to cardiovascular and cirrhosis-related conditions. The appellant's claim seeking DEA benefits under Chapter 35, Title 38, United States Code was also denied as she did not meet the eligibility criteria.

The veteran's appeal was dismissed because he died during the pendency of his appeal, and thus the Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this claim.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current diagnosis of hepatic cirrhosis secondary to chronic hepatitis had its onset during his active service, and thus grants service connection for residuals of viral hepatitis.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for a video conference hearing before the Board of Veterans' Appeals. The RO must schedule this hearing and ensure that notice of it is sent to the correct address.

The veteran's claim for service connection for hepatitis C is being remanded to the RO for further development and consideration.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension, finding that it is proximately due to the veteran's service-connected atypical erythema multiforme. Service connection for Hepatitis C was not addressed as it does not fall under the scope of this decision.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to missing SSA medical records. The veteran's claims for service connection are pending.

The Board finds that additional evidence is needed to decide the claim of service connection for hepatitis C, including records from the San Diego Naval Medical Center regarding a possible blood transfusion during hernia surgery and information about risk factors encountered by the veteran during his service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development of evidence, including obtaining a complete copy of the veteran's VA Vocational Rehabilitation file.

The Board dismissed the appeal of the October 2000 denial of service connection for hepatitis C due to a lack of timely filing of a substantive appeal. The claim for an increased rating for infectious hepatitis is remanded for further development.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for post gastrectomy syndrome with psychophysiologic gastrointestinal reaction and hepatitis, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for higher evaluations under VA rating criteria. The claim for bilateral hearing loss was not addressed as it had previously been denied.

The Board found that the veteran's hepatitis C and cirrhosis of the liver were not incurred or aggravated during his active military service. The VA examiner concluded that these conditions are more likely related to post-service alcohol abuse, drug use, and blood transfusions.

The Board found that the immediate causes of the veteran's death were delirium tremens with severe alcoholic liver disease and cardiac arrest. The medical evidence did not establish a relationship between these conditions and his military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hepatitis and hypertension, as well as his increased ratings for post-operative residuals of splenectomy and splenorenal shunt with hiatal hernia, and portal hypertension. The claim for a total disability evaluation based on individual unemployability was also denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hepatitis C did not warrant a rating higher than 30 percent from January 30, 1998 to February 7, 2002 and no more than 60 percent from August 2000 through August 2001. From September 2001 to February 6, 2002, the veteran's hepatitis C did not warrant a rating higher than 30 percent. Since February 7, 2002, the veteran's hepatitis C has not warranted any disability rating.