Liver disease (hepatitis, cirrhosis) decisions — 2005

The Board has remanded the case for additional development and adjudication due to insufficient analysis in the previous decision, including a lack of evaluation of non-service connected disorders under the rating schedule.

The Board found that the veteran's currently diagnosed psychiatric disorders are not related to events in service and denied all claims for service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for hepatitis C, finding no competent medical evidence linking his infection to improper sterilization during a December 1995 VA hospitalization.

The Board has remanded the case to the RO for further development, including scheduling a Travel Board hearing. The veteran's claims for service connection remain pending.

The Board has determined that the cause of the veteran's death was not caused by any service-connected disability, and therefore denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hearing loss and Hepatitis C were not incurred or aggravated by service, and thus denied both claims.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear pain and right ankle disability, finding that these conditions are related to service-connected gout. Service connection is denied for the other claimed conditions.

The veteran's claim for service connection for hepatitis B with claimed liver problems is being remanded due to the need for clarification on the relationship between his in-service treatment and current diagnosis.

The veteran is seeking service connection for Hepatitis C. The Board has determined that additional medical records and service personnel records are needed to make a determination.

The veteran's claims for hepatitis C and right knee disability were denied. The claim for hepatitis C was remanded, while the claim for right knee disability remains denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for hepatitis C, finding that there was not enough evidence to establish a link between his military service and his current condition.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hepatitis C and residuals of a head injury, finding that there was no current disability or sufficient evidence to establish service connection.

The Board found that the veteran's low back disability is manifested by limitation of motion and pain, but no clinical evidence of incapacitating episodes. The rating assigned for lumbosacral strain with degenerative disc disease and arthritis was determined to be appropriate at 30 percent.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of death due to cirrhosis and hepatitis C, attributing these conditions to military service. The decision was based on the evidence not showing that a disability incurred in or aggravated by active duty caused or contributed to cause death.

The VA granted a 10 percent rating for hepatitis C effective from August 2003, resolving the veteran's claim for an increased rating.

The veteran does not have hepatitis currently and there is no medical diagnosis of a current, chronic disability related to hepatitis. Therefore, the claim for service connection for hepatitis was denied.

The Board denied service connection for cirrhosis of the liver and bilateral hearing loss, finding no evidence linking these conditions to service or to in-service exposure to Agent Orange.

The Board finds that the veteran's hepatitis C is related to service, and grants service connection.

The VA determined that the veteran's hepatitis C is not related to his military service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that further development is needed before the claim can be adjudicated on its merits.