Liver disease (hepatitis, cirrhosis) decisions — 2011

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and further development is required before a final decision can be made on the issues of service connection for hepatitis C and hearing loss disability.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA records and identifying HCV risk factors. The Veteran's service connection claim will be reconsidered based on this new information.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for chronic liver disease and hepatitis were denied as there is no medical evidence of current disability.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for hepatitis C, which he claims was incurred during his military service. The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed hepatitis C.

The Board has determined that the Veteran did not have a spine disorder or hepatitis disorder incurred in service, and therefore denied both claims for accrued benefits purposes.

The Board found no evidence of a blood transfusion in service and concluded that the Veteran's Hepatitis C was not incurred or aggravated by active service.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and the need for an additional medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's hepatitis C was incurred in service, which could affect his claim for service connection for the cause of his death.

The Veteran's vertigo, skin disorder of the right arm, headaches, and hepatitis C were not incurred in or aggravated by active military service.,Service connection was denied for all claimed conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a VA examination regarding his hepatitis C and PTSD. The case will be returned to the Board for further review.

The Board found that the Veteran's cause of death, liver failure due to liver cancer, was not related to his active military service. The primary cause of his hepatitis C and subsequent liver cancer was attributed to illegal intravenous drug use.

The Veteran's cirrhosis of the liver is not considered to have resulted from VA care, and thus compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for this condition is denied.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for hepatitis C and hearing loss are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for hepatitis C, bilateral hearing loss disability, and tinnitus due to lack of evidence supporting a current disability or a link between his military service and these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA and private medical records, scheduling examinations to assess the severity of his service-connected disabilities, and determining whether he meets the criteria for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Veteran died from gastrointestinal bleeding due to esophageal varices as a consequence of post-necrotic cirrhosis. The Board has ordered remand for further development, including obtaining an opinion on whether exposure to Agent Orange in service contributed materially to the cause of death.

The Board found that the Veteran's HCV infection was not incurred or aggravated in service, as there is evidence of in-service intravenous drug use which is considered willful misconduct. The risk factors for HCV are not established by the evidence.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for diabetes mellitus and hypertension, as well as reopening of his cirrhosis claim, were granted. The Veteran was also found to have diabetic retinopathy secondary to his service-connected diabetes.

The Veteran's PTSD warrants a 50% disability rating from June 4, 1998 to July 25, 2002. The RO is directed to assign an initial compensable evaluation for hepatitis C.

The Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for various conditions was received on December 20, 2007. The appellant seeks accrued benefits based on this claim, but the Veteran died before the next month and thus there is no potential for an award.

The Board has granted a 10% rating for hepatitis B, finding that the veteran's intermittent fatigue and decreased energy levels meet the criteria for this rating. The appeal is denied for service connection of hepatitis C as secondary to hepatitis B.