Liver disease (hepatitis, cirrhosis) decisions — 2020

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for degenerative arthritis of the right hip, cirrhosis of liver, degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine, and hypertension due to new relevant medical evidence. The claims are being remanded for additional development.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hemorrhoids, hepatitis C, sleep apnea, asthma, flat feet, and acid reflux due to new evidence received since previous decisions.,Hearing loss is denied as there is no current disability.

The Board dismissed the appeals due to the appellant's death. The claims are now moot.

The Board has remanded two issues: service connection for hepatitis C and liver cancer as secondary to hepatitis C. The reasons are that a decision on the hepatitis C issue could significantly impact the liver cancer claim, and there is insufficient evidence in the current record to determine if the Veteran's hepatitis C was caused by an air gun injection during his military service.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, depression and anxiety, and hepatitis C due to outstanding private treatment records not yet obtained.

The Veteran's initial compensable evaluations for hypertension and hepatitis A have been denied. The claims for service connection of bilateral hearing loss, low back disability, left knee disability, and left hammer toe are remanded due to the need for additional records and medical opinions.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection of left total hip replacement, portal vein thrombosis, liver cancer with cirrhosis, and hepatitis C as these issues are related to a DIC claim filed by the appellant after the Veteran's death.

The Board has remanded the claim for service connection for hepatitis B due to new evidence received since the last statement of case.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient reasoning in its decision and the need for a VA examination to confirm a current diagnosis of hepatitis and determine if it is related to service.

The Veteran's liver disability, including hepatitis C, is service-connected and he has been granted a 100% rating for PTSD. He also received an effective date of October 12, 2009, for the 100% rating.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hepatitis B and diabetes mellitus, type II. The evidence did not support a current disability or link to active service.

The Board has granted service connection for right foot and left foot disabilities, as well as a psychiatric disorder including PTSD. The remaining issues of service connection for liver disorder, gastrointestinal disorder, and right shoulder disability are remanded.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including headache disorder, sleep apnea, acquired psychiatric disorder, abdominal aortic aneurysm, right knee disorder, left knee disorder, and left shoulder disorder. The decision also found that pre-existing allergies were not aggravated by service.

The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection of cirrhosis of the liver, hepatocellular carcinoma (also claimed as liver cancer), hypertension, and pancytopenia due to the death of the appellant.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of hepatitis C (HCV) due to a lack of evidence linking his current HCV diagnosis to his military service. The VA examiner found no medical relationship between the Veteran’s in-service inoculation gun use and his post-service HCV diagnosis.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for Hepatitis C, Right Hip Disorder, and an earlier effective date for hemorrhoids. The Lumbar Spine Disorder claim is remanded for further development.

The Veteran's service connection claims are remanded due to the need for clarification on whether his hepatitis C in service could include non-A or non-B hepatitis, and if so, whether his documented symptoms of jaundice, nausea, vomiting, and liver pain combined with a positive biopsy result for hepatitis C in 1991 make it at least as likely as not that he had hepatitis C in service.

The Veteran's second period of service from May 1986 to October 1992 was other than honorable (OTH), and his character of discharge is a bar to VA benefits.,Service connection for a pulmonary disability, including asthma and bronchitis, hepatitis C, tinea pedis, right ankle disorder, low back disorder, right shoulder disorder, and right knee disorder are all denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hypertension and hepatitis C due to a lack of substantial compliance with previous remand directives, including the need for VA examinations and opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Veteran's hepatitis C and depressive disorder claims are remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA or private treatment records. The TDIU claim is also remanded due to its inextricability from the other claims.