Liver disease (hepatitis, cirrhosis) decisions — 2012

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

The Board determined that the Veteran's hepatitis C did not originate in service or until years thereafter, and is not otherwise etiologically related to service. The claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 was also denied as there is no evidence showing the Veteran incurred hepatitis C due to treatment at a VA facility.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining his service personnel records, Social Security Administration records, and post-May 2010 VA treatment records. The hearing request remains pending.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and evaluations were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of in-service onset or relationship to service for most conditions, except for hepatitis C which was granted up to 30 percent prior to October 26, 2009.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to deficiencies in a previous VA examination and the need to address whether his hepatitis B and C (if present) were incurred during service or caused by any incident therein, including use of air gun or jet gun inoculations received in service.

The Veteran is seeking to reopen a previously denied claim for hepatitis and seeks service connection for PTSD, eye injury residuals, ulcers, chronic fatigue syndrome, and sterility. The case is being remanded for additional development.

The Board has determined that a VA examination is necessary to determine the etiology of the Veteran's liver disorder, including hepatitis B and cirrhosis. The examiner must provide an opinion as to whether the current liver disease is related to service exposure at Camp Lejeune or any other identified risk factors.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a hearing at the RO. The issues are service connection for Hepatitis C and an increased rating for bursitis, degenerative joint disease of the right shoulder.

The Veteran's hypertension and hepatitis C have been service-connected, but the evaluations assigned are noncompensable. The Board finds that a compensable evaluation is not warranted for either condition.

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

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a cardiac disorder that was acquired in, is related to, or was aggravated by her active service. The claim for hepatitis B and any residuals thereof requires further development.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and consideration, including a VA examination to determine the etiology of hepatitis C. The issue of entitlement to a total rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disability remains in appellate status.

The Veteran's hepatitis C has been granted service connection, but the VA determined that it does not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than February 23, 2007 for hepatitis C was denied as there was no new and material evidence received within one year of the November 1994 rating decision.,The Veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than March 31, 1994 for a 10% disability rating for tinnitus was also denied because the increase in symptoms associated with the service-connected tinnitus was not factually ascertainable prior to March 31, 1994.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased disability ratings for various conditions, finding that there was no evidence to support these claims based on the current medical records and available evidence.

The Veteran's hepatitis C is currently evaluated as 10 percent disabling under Diagnostic Code 7354, and the Board finds that his symptoms do not warrant a higher evaluation based on the evidence of record.

The Veteran's cause of death was attributed to acute purulent meningitis and Laennec cirrhosis of the liver. Neither condition is service-connected, nor does there appear to be evidence linking either to herbicide exposure or pre-existing conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing the Veteran with VA examinations to assess his current disability levels. A TDIU claim has also been raised.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for Hepatitis B prior to November 13, 2009, and a higher than 10 percent rating since that date was denied. The current effective date remains unchanged at the date of receipt of his petition to reopen the claim (May 4, 2007).

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