Liver disease (hepatitis, cirrhosis) decisions — 2020

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and hepatitis C due to insufficient evidence. The Veteran's stressor allegation needs verification, and VA treatment records need to be obtained.

The Board denied an initial compensable rating for hepatitis C, finding that the Veteran's condition was nonsymptomatic and did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection of sarcoidosis, cirrhosis of the liver, hepatitis C, and chronic renal disease as these conditions were not claimed or arose within one year after separation from active duty.

The Board has granted service connection for liver disease (including cirrhosis, hepatitis C, and liver cancer), finding that it is at least as likely as not related to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD with depression and/or herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for a psychiatric disability, claimed as depression, has been withdrawn.,Service connection for hepatitis C and liver disease was denied due to lack of evidence linking the conditions to service or secondary to another condition. New and material evidence was not received to reopen these claims.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his upper gastrointestinal bleeding, cirrhosis, and cholangiocarcinoma were not related to service or any service-connected condition.

The Veteran's appeals have been withdrawn, and all issues are dismissed.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's claims, including service connection for chronic low back disorder and hepatitis C, as well as rating and effective date determinations. The case will be returned to the AOJ for further development.

The Board has dismissed all claims of service connection due to the Veteran's death.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's claims, including those for recurrent hepatitis disability, bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, erectile dysfunction, and an acquired psychiatric disability. The Veteran needs to provide updated medical records and further examination is required.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to chronic alcohol abuse with hepatic cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, finding that there was no clear medical evidence establishing that alcohol abuse was caused by a primary service-connected disability.

The Board denied service connection for hepatitis, bilateral vision loss, right knee disability, left knee disability, and knee scars. The Veteran did not have current disabilities related to these conditions at the time of the claim or recent to the filing of the claim.,There is no evidence of current hepatitis or residuals of hepatitis documented in the medical record.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension, kidney stones, hemochromatosis, malaria, and hepatitis B.,For each condition, the decision stated there was no competent evidence that suggests it was incurred or aggravated during a period of active duty or ACDUTRA.

The Veteran's hypertension, spondylolisthesis L5-S1, and residuals of hepatitis A for accrued benefits purposes are granted.,The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is granted on an accrued basis.,The Veteran's tinnitus is granted on an accrued basis.

The Veteran was granted a TDIU from January 26, 2011 to April 27, 2012 due to his service-connected hepatitis C. The Board found that the Veteran's hepatitis C rendered him unemployable during this period.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for GERD, finding that it is not related to his in-service gastrointestinal complaints or his service-connected psychiatric condition.

The Board dismissed the appeals for tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, and hepatitis C as they are no longer relevant due to the appellant's death.

The Veteran's hypertension, bilateral hearing loss disability, tinnitus, hepatitis C with cirrhosis of the liver, gastroesophageal disability (including GERD and Barrett's esophagus), heart disability other than CAD (paroxysmal atrial fibrillation), and erectile dysfunction are all granted. However, due to insufficient evidence, several issues related to these conditions have been remanded for further development.

The Veteran's Hepatitis C is currently rated at 10 percent, and the Board has determined that a higher rating is not warranted based on his symptoms.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding a potential service connection for hepatitis C.