Liver disease (hepatitis, cirrhosis) decisions — 2023

The Board has remanded the claims for COPD, heart disability, right hand arthritis, and hepatitis C due to exposure during service. The Veteran's service records do not provide sufficient evidence on the claimed exposures.

The Veteran's Hepatitis B and GERD disabilities are rated at 10 percent, but the Board granted a higher rating of 30 percent based on persistent symptoms.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for cirrhosis is remanded due to the need for a VA examination and further development of evidence.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient opinions regarding whether PTSD or an acquired psychiatric disability existed during service and its relation to current conditions, as well as determining if any psychiatric disorder was a substantial or contributing factor in the Veteran's death.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's Hepatitis C is related to service. The Veteran claims his hepatitis was caused by an air gun inoculation during basic training.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's death is not eligible for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151, and has also remanded the issue of service connection for hepatitis C.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for hepatitis and granted service connection for other specified trauma and stressor related disorder (PTSD), COPD, and hepatitis C. The Board found that it is at least as likely as not that these conditions were incurred during service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for Hepatitis C, cirrhosis, and an acquired psychiatric disorder as they are not shown to be related to his military service.

The Veteran's hepatitis B and C did not manifest as near-constant debilitating symptoms prior to January 29, 2020. The Board denied a disability rating in excess of 60 percent for this period.

The Board has granted service connection for a psychiatric disability, including major depressive disorder with alcohol use disorder. The claims of service connection for hepatitis C and hypertension are remanded due to the need for additional medical examination.

The appeals seeking service connection for various conditions have been dismissed due to the Veteran's death.

The claims for service connection of a right knee/ankle disorder, hepatitis C, and a right foot disorder have been denied. The appeal is dismissed.

The Veteran's cause of death, hepatocellular carcinoma with metastasis due to hepatitis C, is not service-connected as it was not caused or aggravated by his military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence and needs further examination to determine if the Veteran's current conditions are related to her service.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD and hepatitis C disabilities prevented him from securing and following substantially gainful employment from August 1, 2013 to December 8, 2021.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to insufficient opinions provided by VA examiners regarding his service connection claims. The issues include hallux valgus of the bilateral great toes and intractable plantar keratosis, bilateral knee disabilities, unequal length of the right leg, hypertension, dry eye syndrome, hemorrhoids, left shoulder disability, and hepatitis C.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and hepatitis due to new evidence submitted. The claims are remanded for further development, including obtaining VA examination reports and treatment records.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and consideration. The Veteran's claims for service connection for frostbite of bilateral feet and hepatitis are denied due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including hepatitis C, right knee strain, and bilateral pes planus, have prevented him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation. The Board has granted TDIU on an extraschedular basis due to the relative equipoise in evidence supporting his claim.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a liver disability and sleep apnea, finding that there is no evidence of an in-service injury or disease related to these conditions.