Liver disease (hepatitis, cirrhosis) decisions — 2021

The Board has denied service connection for hepatitis C due to the Veteran's own drug use during service. The claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are remanded for additional development.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hepatitis C is related to his military service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a lack of an opinion regarding whether the Veteran's hepatitis C is related to service in Vietnam. The Veteran needs to provide information about his risk factors for hepatitis C, and a VA examiner will need to determine if it is at least as likely as not that he contracted the virus while serving.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for a higher rating for Hepatitis C, satisfied with the recent decision that granted an increased disability rating effective January 18, 2021.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate January 2018 VA examination, and the Veteran must be afforded a new examination to determine the nature and etiology of his Hepatitis C.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hepatitis B and C due to incomplete records and need for additional medical opinions regarding in-service risk factors.

The Board denied service connection for cervical dysplasia and COPD, finding that the Veteran's current conditions were not related to her military service.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a skin disability, bilateral peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, hepatitis C, and liver cancer due to potential exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are granted as service connection for accrued benefits purposes.,Service connection is granted for COPD to include as secondary to service-connected CAD, but hepatitis C is denied as secondary to service-connected disabilities.,A rating higher than 30 percent for CAD and a rating higher than 70 percent for depression are both denied.,An effective date earlier than March 17, 2011, for the grant of service connection for depression is denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding when and how the Veteran contracted hepatitis C, which is necessary for determining service connection. The cause of death claim also remains pending.

The Board has remanded the claims for low back disorder, right-side rib cage injury, Hepatitis C, and periodontal disease due to incomplete service records and need for further examination.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's service in Vietnam and whether his PTSD was caused by or resulted from his active service. The cause of death is also under review.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's service connection claims for neurobehavioral effects, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, autoimmune disease, auto hepatitis, and osteoporosis due to incomplete development of her case.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hepatitis as there is no current diagnosis of the condition.

The Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and the Board denied DIC benefits under both 38 U.S.C. § 1310 (for cause of death) and 38 U.S.C. § 1318 (for non-service-connected compensation).

The Veteran's cause of death was not caused by or substantially contributed to by a service-connected disability. The Board found that the Veteran's respiratory and heart conditions were not related to his military service.

The Board denied service connection for hepatitis C, finding that the Veteran's current condition is more likely due to post-service intravenous drug use.

The Board has not made a final decision on the claim and needs to remand it for further development, including obtaining additional VA treatment records and providing an addendum opinion regarding the current severity of the service-connected residuals infectious hepatitis.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for Hepatitis C service connection was denied as the prior decisions were final and no new evidence had been submitted to reopen the claim.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a right knee disorder, hepatitis C, and liver disorder due to incomplete medical opinions and failure to consider the Veteran's testimony regarding his symptoms.