Liver disease (hepatitis, cirrhosis) Board decisions

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hepatitis B and diabetes mellitus, type II. The evidence did not support a current disability or link to active service.

The Board has granted service connection for right foot and left foot disabilities, as well as a psychiatric disorder including PTSD. The remaining issues of service connection for liver disorder, gastrointestinal disorder, and right shoulder disability are remanded.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including headache disorder, sleep apnea, acquired psychiatric disorder, abdominal aortic aneurysm, right knee disorder, left knee disorder, and left shoulder disorder. The decision also found that pre-existing allergies were not aggravated by service.

The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection of cirrhosis of the liver, hepatocellular carcinoma (also claimed as liver cancer), hypertension, and pancytopenia due to the death of the appellant.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of hepatitis C (HCV) due to a lack of evidence linking his current HCV diagnosis to his military service. The VA examiner found no medical relationship between the Veteran’s in-service inoculation gun use and his post-service HCV diagnosis.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for Hepatitis C, Right Hip Disorder, and an earlier effective date for hemorrhoids. The Lumbar Spine Disorder claim is remanded for further development.

The Veteran's service connection claims are remanded due to the need for clarification on whether his hepatitis C in service could include non-A or non-B hepatitis, and if so, whether his documented symptoms of jaundice, nausea, vomiting, and liver pain combined with a positive biopsy result for hepatitis C in 1991 make it at least as likely as not that he had hepatitis C in service.

The Veteran's second period of service from May 1986 to October 1992 was other than honorable (OTH), and his character of discharge is a bar to VA benefits.,Service connection for a pulmonary disability, including asthma and bronchitis, hepatitis C, tinea pedis, right ankle disorder, low back disorder, right shoulder disorder, and right knee disorder are all denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hypertension and hepatitis C due to a lack of substantial compliance with previous remand directives, including the need for VA examinations and opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Veteran's hepatitis C and depressive disorder claims are remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA or private treatment records. The TDIU claim is also remanded due to its inextricability from the other claims.

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.