Liver disease (hepatitis, cirrhosis) decisions — 2011

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied as his conditions are not related to his military service.

The Board found that hepatitis C was not incurred in or aggravated by military service and denied the claim.

The Veteran's cause of death was not related to his in-service exposure to Agent Orange or any other incident of service, as renal failure, hepatorenal syndrome, and cirrhosis were not shown to have manifested during service or for many years thereafter and were not otherwise shown to be related to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hepatitis C was not incurred in or aggravated by his active military service, including treatment with INH for one year. The most probative evidence of record does not support a finding that the Veteran's current hepatitis C is related to his period of service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection and compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for hepatitis C was denied as there is no evidence of a causal link between the condition and his military service or VA care.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals has determined that the Veteran's claim for service connection for Hepatitis C should be remanded due to incomplete development and need for additional medical opinions.

The Board found that the Veteran's hepatitis C infection is not related to his active service, and thus denied his claim.

The Veteran's hepatitis C was found to have its onset during service and is related to in-service risk factors, thus service connection is granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's appeal of his hepatitis C claim is withdrawn. The Board also found that there was no evidence to support a service connection for hepatitis C, and thus denied this claim.

The Veteran's claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 is denied as his current disabilities are not found to be the result of VA care, and no fault on VA's part was established.

The Veteran's hepatitis C has been asymptomatic for the duration of his claim, with only slight fatigue noted in 2004. The disability does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating under VA's Schedule for Rating Disabilities.

The Veteran's Hepatitis C is causally or etiologically related to service, and the Board finds that service connection for Hepatitis C is warranted.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hepatitis C is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including searching for records related to her alleged exposure during basic training and a possible source of infection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current polymyositis and hepatitis C are not etiologically related to his period of active military service.

The Board found no evidence to support a finding that the Veteran's current diagnosis of hepatitis B is related to his military service, and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board found that the Veteran's hepatitis C was not incurred in or aggravated by service, as it is more likely due to his own IV drug use. The claim for service connection for hepatitis C has been denied.

The Veteran's hepatitis C was found to be asymptomatic and without incapacitating episodes, warranting a noncompensable rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was caused by his service-connected PTSD, which included alcohol abuse. The VA Director concluded that both alcohol and hepatitis B were contributing factors to the development of cirrhosis, leading to the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities alone preclude him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has remanded the case for further consideration due to insufficient discussion of evidence and need for additional medical records or other evidence.