Liver disease (hepatitis, cirrhosis) decisions — 2020

The Veteran's service-connected hepatitis with jaundice did not cause his death by heart failure, aortic valve stenosis and coronary artery disease. The Board found that the evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran’s death was caused by treatment or examination furnished by VA.

The Board has remanded two issues related to service connection for hepatitis C and cirrhosis of the liver associated with hepatitis C. The remand is due to the need for a new medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's hepatitis C was acquired during service.

The Veteran's hepatitis C claim is remanded for a VA examination. The claims for acid reflux and esophageal varices, as well as the reopening of hypertension claim, are pending due to certification issues.

The Board has decided to remand the claim of service connection for hepatitis C due to a need for an additional addendum opinion from a hepatologist.

The Board denied service connection for hepatitis C, finding that the Veteran's claim was not supported by evidence showing a causal relationship between his in-service injury and/or onset of hepatitis C.

The Board has remanded the cases due to insufficient evidence from VA's Mayaguez VA Outpatient Clinic and missing in-service hospitalization records for hepatitis, hypertension, heart disease, and sleep apnea.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's service connection claim for hepatitis C and hepatic stenosis, specifically whether his drug use was secondary to or caused by his service-connected paranoid schizophrenia.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hepatitis C is remanded due to the need for a VA examination and retrieval of his military hospital records from Fort Sam Houston.

The Board denied service connection for Hepatitis C, follicular lymphoma, and cirrhosis as they were not caused by the Veteran's in-service jet air-gun inoculations or his service-connected PTSD.

The Board has remanded several service connection claims for hepatic encephalopathy, hepatitis C, anemia (related to hepatitis C), and cirrhosis of the liver due to missing VA treatment records. The Veteran's death in May 2019 may have contributed to these records being unavailable.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for Hepatitis C, finding that there was no causal relationship between his current diagnosis and his in-service exposure to an unsterilized air gun injection. The preponderance of evidence did not support the Veteran's claim.

The Board has granted service connection for hepatitis C, finding that the Veteran's current diagnosis is consistent with known risk factors from his military service. Service connection for hypertension was denied.

The Board has remanded the case for a determination of whether the Veteran is unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities, as he does not meet the schedular threshold for TDIU but may be eligible under an extraschedular basis.

The Board has granted service connection for hepatitis C and remanded the TDIU claim.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for degenerative changes of the lumbar spine, COPD (also claimed as asthma), and hepatitis B due to incomplete records. The Veteran's service treatment records were not obtained until January 2017.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection for Hepatitis C and individual unemployability (TDIU) due to insufficient development of evidence.

The Veteran's appeal for initial increased ratings for hepatitis C was dismissed due to the withdrawal of the appeal by his attorney.,A 70 percent rating for PTSD is granted, subject to rules and regulations governing the award of monetary benefits.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, left foot disorder, right foot disorder, left knee disorder, right knee disorder, and right ankle disorder have been dismissed.,Service connection has been granted for PTSD.

The Veteran's appeals for hepatitis C and a right side breast condition (claimed as breast cancer) due to exposure at Camp Lejeune have been dismissed because the Veteran withdrew his appeals.

The Board denied service connection for cause of death due to lack of active military, naval, or air service. The decedent had periods of ACDUTRA and INACDUTRA in the Naval Reserve but no active duty.