Liver disease (hepatitis, cirrhosis) decisions — 2020

The Board has remanded the case for further development and opinion regarding service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, including consideration of his diabetes mellitus.

The Board has remanded the cases for an addendum opinion to address whether the Veteran's COPD and hepatitis C are related to his service, including as secondary to any service-connected disabilities.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claim of service connection for hepatitis C should be remanded due to inadequate medical opinion and need for additional information.

The Board has granted service connection for hepatitis C, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's diagnosed hepatitis C was contracted during or due to active service.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's left knee disability and hepatitis.

The Board has remanded several issues, including an increased rating for PTSD with unspecified depressive disorder, service connection for hepatitis B and C, kidney condition, bladder condition, and TDIU. The Veteran's Social Security records are to be obtained, a SOC is needed for the service connection claims, and the Veteran should be provided another opportunity to submit information for his TDIU claim.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's disabilities, both service-connected and nonservice-connected, made him need regular aid and attendance or housebound.

The claim for an increased evaluation of hepatitis C from March 30, 1973 to November 28, 2016 is denied. The claim for TDIU as due to service-connected disability is also denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's in-service tattoos contributed to his hepatitis C, which is listed as a significant condition contributing to death but not resulting in the underlying cause of hepatocellular carcinoma.

The Veteran's service connection claim for headaches was denied as there is no evidence of a disease or injury during service that resulted in current headaches.,For the entire appeal period, the Veteran’s esophageal stricture with cirrhosis of the liver and alcohol hepatitis has been manifested by persistently recurrent epigastric distress, dysphagia, pyrosis, reflux, regurgitation, and sleep disturbances without substernal, arm, or shoulder pain. The condition does not result in considerable impairment of health.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for COPD and cirrhosis of the liver, as well as the claim for cause of death. The VA will obtain additional medical records and provide a new opinion regarding the Veteran's exposure to JP-4 jet fuel during service and its relation to his current conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for cirrhosis of the liver as a residual of his service-connected non-Hodgkin's lymphoma due to lack of confirmed diagnosis.

The Board has granted service connection for liver disease, including hepatitis C and hepatic steatosis, finding that the Veteran's hepatitis C began during active duty service and his hepatic steatosis is secondary to his hepatitis C.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's service connection claims for hepatitis C, hemorrhoids, rhinitis, sinusitis, kidney condition, cirrhosis of the liver, hemochromatosis, and arthritis due to issues with the character of discharge from his second period of active duty.

The Board denied service connection for hepatitis C and TDIU due to lack of evidence linking the conditions to service, and because the Veteran's disabilities did not prevent him from securing or maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the cases of cirrhosis, diabetic retinopathy evaluation, and TDIU prior to February 2, 2018 due to insufficient evidence for a definitive diagnosis of cirrhosis and issues related to service connection.

The Veteran's hepatitis C is rated at 20 percent disabling, and the Board found that his symptoms do not warrant a higher rating. The claim for TDIU was also denied as there was insufficient information to determine if he could not secure or follow substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected condition.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for Hepatitis C is denied because there is no evidence of a causal link between the condition and his military service.

The Board has remanded the claims for hepatitis C and PAD secondary to service-connected disability due to insufficient medical opinions. The VA is required to obtain an addendum opinion from a clinician addressing the Veteran's tobacco abuse, substance abuse (including alcohol, marijuana, and heroin), and their relationship to his service-connected PTSD, heart disability, lung cancer disability, and hepatitis C/PAD.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hepatitis C, lichen simplex chronicus and prurigo nodularis associated with hepatitis C, mild spondylosis of the lumbar spine, and bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy (femoral) associated with mild spondylosis of the lumbar spine due to new evidence received since the last decision.