Liver disease (hepatitis, cirrhosis) decisions — 2012

The VA determined that the Veteran's hepatitis B was not incurred in or aggravated by his military service and denied his claim.

The Board has ordered the case to be remanded for further development and medical opinion regarding the Veteran's hepatitis during service, its impact on his death, and whether it is likely that he developed clinical manifestations of acute viral hepatitis due to in-service military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hepatitis C is not related to his military service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the Board does not have jurisdiction to review the appeals of his claims for hepatitis B, bipolar disorder, and high cholesterol.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to allow for a videoconference hearing before the Board of Veterans' Appeals.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and securing an opinion on the relationship between the Veteran's service-connected PTSD and his death.

The Board has remanded the claim due to a need for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a medical examination. The Veteran's service connection claim will be reconsidered after these actions.

The Board found that the appellant's character of discharge was under dishonorable conditions due to willful and persistent misconduct, which barred VA benefits. Service connection for alcoholism and hepatitis C were denied as they did not meet the criteria.

The Board found that the Veteran's hepatitis C was not shown to be related to service or his service-connected hemorrhoids, and thus denied the claim for service connection.

The Veteran does not currently have hepatitis C, and the evidence does not support a finding that he had it during service. As such, his claim for service connection is denied.

The Veteran's death was not caused by VA treatment, and the Board finds that hepatitis C did not proximately cause or contribute to his death. Therefore, DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 are denied.

The Board has determined that the appellant's hepatitis C was not incurred in service and is not related to his active duty.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination. The Veteran's claims for hepatitis, residuals of oral surgery, and an acquired psychiatric disorder are pending.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hepatitis C was incurred during his active military service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for erectile dysfunction and hepatitis C are inextricably intertwined, as the March 2010 VA genitourinary examiner opined that the Veteran's hepatitis C was related to his erectile dysfunction. Therefore, these issues must be remanded for further development.

The VA expert medical opinion established that the Veteran's hepatitis C is as likely as not etiologically related to needle sticks in service, which were part of his military occupational specialty of dental specialist. As a result, the Board granted service connection for hepatitis C.

The Board finds that the Veteran's service-connected orthopedic disabilities have met the schedular criteria for TDIU throughout the pendency of this appeal, and therefore grants entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.

The Veteran's hepatitis C is related to service and the Board has granted entitlement to service connection.

The Veteran's claims for a higher evaluation for his right hand injury and service connection for hepatitis C are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and development of the record.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to his inability to attend the scheduled hearing. His claims for service connection remain pending.