Liver disease (hepatitis, cirrhosis) decisions — 2016

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination. The Veteran's service connection claim for liver disability is pending, as well as his TDIU claim.

The Veteran's tinnitus was granted service connection, and his hepatitis C claim is remanded for additional development. The TDIU claim is also remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss of the right ear, asbestosis, asthma, and chronic headaches have been granted.,Service connection has also been established for a pre-existing condition (childhood asthma) that was aggravated by service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hepatitis C is related to his service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is being remanded due to his failure to report for a VA examination and because the issue of an initial increased rating for hepatitis C is inextricably intertwined with the TDIU claim.

The Board finds that the Veteran has PTSD due to multiple traumas experienced during Vietnam, including fearing for his life and the lives of those around him. The Veteran's symptoms include nightmares, flashbacks, avoidance of reminders of the trauma, emotional numbing, anger and irritability, sleep disturbance, an exaggerated startle response, and hypervigilance.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have hepatitis C or a skin disability that is related to his military service, including exposure to herbicides. The claim for hepatitis C was denied as it is less likely due to his military service.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for hepatitis C was denied as the evidence did not show intermittent fatigue, malaise, and anorexia or incapacitating episodes with symptoms such as fatigue, malaise, nausea, vomiting, anorexia, arthralgia, and right upper quadrant pain.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder to include as secondary to hepatitis C was denied. The VA examiner concluded that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder is not related to active duty service or his service-connected hepatitis C.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for recurrent hepatitis to include acute hepatitis residuals, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination.

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

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

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus contributed substantially and materially to his death, which was caused by hemorrhagic shock. The decision grants DIC benefits based on this finding.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, Hepatitis C, and a psychiatric disorder other than PTSD due to lack of evidence supporting these conditions.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical opinions and records. The Veteran's cause of death is not clear due to lack of service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service connection claim for hepatitis C residuals is denied as his in-service drug use was willful misconduct, which bars him from establishing service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hepatitis C is related to an in-service event, and thus service connection for this condition is granted.

The Board denied service connection for a right ankle disorder, residuals of TBI, and hepatitis C as the evidence did not establish a nexus between these conditions and military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hepatitis C, an evaluation in excess of 40 percent for degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine, and a TDIU due to lack of evidence establishing a causal relationship between his active military service and these conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypertension and type II diabetes mellitus were not incurred in or aggravated by service, and his hepatitis C was not caused by service. The claims are therefore denied.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for hepatitis B before the Board could make a decision.