Liver disease (hepatitis, cirrhosis) decisions — 2007

The veteran claims his current diagnosis of hepatitis C is related to service in Vietnam, specifically due to exposure to wounded soldiers' blood while serving on the USS Dubuque. The case is remanded for further development and review.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hepatitis C and cardiopulmonary disability, finding no evidence of a current disability related to service.

The veteran's claim for service connection for hepatitis C is being remanded due to the submission of new evidence that has not been reviewed by the RO.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary to determine if the veteran's Hepatitis C is related to his military service, and has therefore remanded the case for further action.

The veteran's claims for service connection and TDIU are being remanded due to the need to obtain additional records, conduct medical examinations, and complete a social and industrial survey.

The veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions were denied. The Board found that the claimed conditions are not related to active service and did not arise from an undiagnosed illness.

The Board denied service connection for hepatitis C, but found new and material evidence to reopen the claim of service connection for hepatitis B.,Service connection was not granted for hepatitis C as there is no clinical diagnosis in the record.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated medical records and arranging for a VA examination to evaluate his hepatitis C.

The Board has remanded the claims due to the failure to issue a Statement of the Case for these issues.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including examinations and the provision of notice in connection with his claims.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for hearing loss, PTSD, and infectious hepatitis were denied. The RO will need to obtain the full report of the July 2004 VA liver, gall bladder, and pancreas examination.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hepatitis C and an increased rating for traumatic arthritis of the cervical spine. The veteran's claim for hepatitis C was reopened based on new evidence, but he did not have active hepatitis C at the time of his VA examination in June 2001. For the cervical spine disability, the Board found that there is no evidence of unfavorable ankylosis or severe recurrent attacks of intervertebral disc syndrome.

The Board found that hepatitis C was not present during service and did not develop as a result of any incident in service, thus denying the claim for service connection.

The veteran's claim for service connection for hepatitis C is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining reserve medical records and providing a VA examination.

The Board found that the appellant's back disability was not incurred in or aggravated by service, and his liver disability (lupus hepatitis) is not proximately due to or the result of a service-connected disability. The claims were denied.

The Board finds that the veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected condition, and thus denied his claim for service connection for the cause of his death.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a Travel Board hearing. The specific issues of service connection, increased rating, and individual unemployability are not addressed in this decision.

The Board has determined that the veteran's hepatitis C was not incurred in or aggravated by service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board found that there is no competent medical evidence diagnosing the veteran's claimed conditions until years after his separation from active duty. The preponderance of the competent medical evidence is against a finding that any of these conditions are causally related to his period of active duty.

The Board has remanded the case due to a request for a Travel Board hearing. The veteran's claims for service connection for hepatitis C and genital herpes are still pending.