Liver disease (hepatitis, cirrhosis) decisions — 2009

The Board has granted service connection for hepatitis C and migraine headaches, finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to his military service.

The Board denied the claims for service connection for hepatitis C, depression, and alcohol and drug addiction for purposes of accrued benefits due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to active military service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left knee disabilities, as well as his attempts to reopen previously denied claims for low back disability and liver cirrhosis. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including malaria, left wrist disability, fungal infection, and a snake bite. The issues of reopening these claims were addressed, but no new evidence was submitted to reopen them.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the case is dismissed.

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

The Board has determined that the appellant's hepatitis C with liver damage was not incurred in or aggravated by active service.

The Veteran's hepatitis C and cervical spine strain claims are being remanded for additional development, including VA examinations to assess the current state of his conditions and their relationship to service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional medical examination and development of records, including SSA records. The Veteran's claims for service connection for a liver condition secondary to hepatitis C and an increased rating for hepatitis C are pending.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's Hepatitis C is related to service, and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for depression and a compensable evaluation for erectile dysfunction are denied. The appeal for an earlier effective date for the award of a compensable evaluation for hepatitis with depression is dismissed as there is no legal entitlement to such.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hepatitis C was not incurred during service and is not related to any incident of his military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hepatitis C is being remanded due to the need for additional development of his medical records and a medical opinion regarding the etiology of his condition.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to a lack of communication with the Veteran's representative.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a new VA examination to determine the extent of his steatohepatitis disability and for readjudication.

The Veteran does not have hepatitis C or a disability that prevents him from engaging in substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for hepatitis C has been dismissed due to his death.

The Board finds that the Veteran's hepatitis, including hepatitis A, B, and C, did not develop during his active military service. The evidence does not support a finding of in-service onset or connection to service.

The Board found that new and material evidence has not been received to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for the cause of death.

The Veteran's acute autoimmune hepatitis was not present in service or until many years thereafter and is not related to service, including exposure to Agent Orange.