Liver disease (hepatitis, cirrhosis) decisions — 2015

The Veteran's cause of death was due to metastatic adenocarcinoma of the biliary tract, but there is uncertainty about whether he had prostate or respiratory cancer. The VA needs to determine if his death was caused by a disease or injury in service, including exposure to herbicides.

The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding that the Veteran's hepatitis C was incurred or aggravated during his military service, and denied the claim.

The Board has determined that a timely Notice of Disagreement (NOD) was received with regard to the September 2006 and October 2006 rating decisions, which denied service connection for various conditions. The appeal is now remanded for issuance of a Statement of the Case regarding these issues.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have hepatitis B as a current disability and therefore, service connection cannot be granted.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death, and the claims for hepatitis C service connection and anxiety disorder are not before the Board.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical evidence and for further examination regarding his claims of service connection for hepatitis C and bilateral knee disorder.

The Veteran's low back disability, including degenerative disc/joint disease and spinal canal stenosis, is related to service. He also has other service-connected disabilities that prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.,Service connection for the low back disability was established based on continuity of symptomatology since service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for multiple myeloma, PTSD, and hepatitis C. The issues of reopening claims for aortic aneurysm, left hip replacement, hypertension, and depression with insomnia have also been denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was caused by gastrointestinal bleeding and anemia, but it is unclear if this was related to his service-connected left knee disability or other conditions. The case is being remanded for further medical opinions regarding these issues.

The Veteran's hepatitis C was not characterized by daily fatigue, malaise, or anorexia requiring dietary restriction or continuous medication, or incapacitating episodes having a total duration of at least two weeks during the past 12 months prior to August 14, 2012. As of August 14, 2012, his hepatitis C was not characterized by incapacitating episodes during the past 12 months, weight loss, or hepatomegaly.,The Veteran's cirrhosis of the liver did not meet criteria for a higher rating as it did not present with portal hypertension and splenomegaly; history of one or more episodes of ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, or hemorrhage from varices or portal gastropathy; or generalized weakness, substantial weight loss, and persistent jaundice, or ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, hemorrhage from varices or portal gastropathy refractory to treatment.

The Veteran's appeal for disability compensation benefits under the provisions of 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for residuals of hepatitis C has been dismissed due to his death.

The Veteran's death was caused by polypharmacy in part as a result of the medication prescribed to treat his service connected disabilities, and the Board finds that these service-connected conditions contributed substantially to his cause of death.

The Board finds that the Veteran is entitled to an effective date of November 13, 2006 for the grant of nonservice-connected pension benefits. The decision also grants service connection for hypertension and hepatitis.

The Veteran's hepatitis C and left great toe fracture were rated at the maximum available under their respective diagnostic codes, with a TDIU granted for the entire appeal period.

The Board found that the Veteran had hepatitis A in service and recovered from it. The claim for hepatitis C is denied as there is no evidence of current disability attributable to service.

The Board has granted the Veteran's request to reopen his claim for service connection for hepatitis C and found that new evidence received since the final denial supports this claim. However, the Board also determined that there is no causal relationship between the current diagnosis of hepatitis C and the incident of hepatitis documented in the Veteran's service treatment records.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hepatitis C was denied as there is no current diagnosis of the condition.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been denied. The Board found no evidence of a current disability related to the claimed conditions and insufficient medical nexus opinions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hepatitis C, PTSD, TBI, and a compensable rating for post-operative scarring from CABG were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support these claims.

The Veteran's death was caused by cirrhosis of the liver due to alcohol abuse, with significant contributory conditions including hypertension and anemia. The appellant is seeking service connection for the cause of her husband's death.