Liver disease (hepatitis, cirrhosis) decisions — 2017

The Board found that the Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and thus denied the claim for service connection for cause of death.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current liver disease, which is hepatitis C without cirrhosis, was not manifest in service and is unrelated to service. The preponderance of evidence indicates it is related to post-service alcohol and intravenous drug abuse.

The Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation based on the need for regular aid and attendance or being housebound is denied as he does not meet the criteria for either benefit due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for hepatitis C and hepatocellular carcinoma, finding that both conditions are related to the Veteran's military service. Hepatitis C is directly related to her service, while hepatocellular carcinoma was caused by her hepatitis C.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for depression secondary to a service-connected condition was granted. However, his claim for service connection for erectile dysfunction secondary to a service-connected condition was denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's hepatitis C. The claim will be returned for further development.

The Veteran does not currently have any active form of hepatitis, or any hepatitis residuals, other than a laboratory finding of Hepatitis A antibodies. The criteria for service connection of hepatitis are not met.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hypertension and hepatitis C due to incomplete development of medical records, particularly from the Dallas VA Medical Center. The claims are now pending again with the AOJ.

The Veteran's hearing loss is not service-connected as it did not manifest during or as a result of his military service.,The Veteran's current hepatitis C (HCV) was incurred during his military service.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for hepatitis C was denied. The Board also dismissed the TDIU claim as moot due to his combined 100 percent schedular rating.

The Board found that the Veteran has a current diagnosis of hepatitis C and determined that it was not incurred or aggravated during service, but rather is more likely due to other risk factors such as drug use outside of his period of service. The claim for bilateral hearing loss remains pending.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities meet the schedular requirement for a TDIU and are reasonably shown to render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation since October 16, 2012.

The Board has reopened the previously denied claims for service connection for hepatitis C, PTSD, and MRSA. The new evidence submitted since the August 2007 rating decision is sufficient to reopen these claims.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeal concerning the claims for service connection for hepatitis C and a compensable rating for tinea pedis. The Board does not have jurisdiction to further consider these claims.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current disability of hepatitis and denied his claim for service connection. For bilateral hearing loss, the Board determined there is no evidence of a compensable rating based on the audiometric test results provided.

The Board found that new evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claims for hepatitis C, acquired psychiatric disorder, eye condition, hypertension, diabetes mellitus type 2, and degenerative arthritis of the left shoulder. The Veteran's claims were denied as there was no evidence showing these conditions were incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need to obtain additional medical records and provide her with a VA examination.

The Board finds that the Veteran's IV drug use is secondary to his service-connected PTSD and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hepatitis C, bilateral shoulder disability (arthritis), and bilateral knee disability (arthritis) are not related to his active service. The evidence does not support a finding of in-service injury or disease for any of these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the case is dismissed.