Liver disease (hepatitis, cirrhosis) Board decisions

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hepatitis C, cirrhosis of the liver, ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, and thrombocytopenia due to hepatitis C. The VA is instructed to obtain records related to a blood transfusion and/or skin graft at Long Beach Naval Hospital in the 1970s and provide an opinion on whether these conditions are related to service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a psychiatric disability and hepatitis C are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions and records.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for hepatitis C and renal insufficiency and kidney stones as secondary to hepatitis C due to new evidence and a need for further medical opinions.

The Board has remanded the claims for hepatitis C, liver cirrhosis with severe ascites, kidney failure, bilateral edema of legs and feet, and fibromyalgia due to a lack of an opinion on their etiology. The cause of death is also being remanded as it is related to hepatitis C.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to incomplete records and inadequate medical opinions.

The appeal for service connection for anemia (to include as due to Hepatitis B vaccination) and entitlement to a total disability rating for individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities is dismissed. The appeals regarding the reduction in ratings for left knee arthritis and right knee tricompartmental degenerative joint disease are also dismissed.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hepatitis C, finding that it did not manifest during service and is etiologically not related to service. The decision was based on VA examination findings and the Veteran's history of alcohol abuse.

The Veteran's claim for hepatitis C has been reopened, but the issue remains remanded. The initial rating for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss is denied. An initial 40 percent rating for diabetes mellitus is granted. Service connection for prostate cancer residuals is granted at a 10 percent rating. Service connection for neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities is denied.

The Board has previously remanded the claims for chronic hepatitis C and swollen joints, but due to lack of adequate notice of scheduled examinations, another remand is required to afford the Veteran VA examinations.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hepatitis C as new and material evidence was not submitted to raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's Hepatitis C is service-connected. The VA needs to schedule a medical examination and provide further clarification on the etiology of the condition.

The Board has ordered the case to be remanded due to an inadequate medical opinion and new evidence of possible exposure to hepatitis C during service.

For the period prior to June 1, 2016, a rating in excess of 10 percent for hepatitis C was denied.,From June 1, 2016 to October 18, 2019, a 20 percent rating for hepatitis C was granted. The rating is subject to the laws and regulations governing the payment of VA monetary benefits.

The Veteran's service-connected Hepatitis C is being remanded for a new examination to assess the current and worsening symptoms of his condition.

The Veteran's claim for hepatitis C and low back disability have been reopened, and service connection has been granted for the low back disability. The claim for hepatitis C remains pending.

A 40 percent rating for hepatitis C between December 11, 2009 and March 4, 2017 is granted. A higher rating for hepatitis C between March 4, 2017 and February 5, 2019 is denied.

The Board has determined that there was not substantial compliance with the June 2019 remand instructions and that another remand is required for a VA medical opinion regarding the Veteran's Hepatitis C claim. The TDIU issue is also being remanded to consider whether referral to the Director, Compensation Service, is warranted.

The Veteran's claims of reopening his hepatitis C and skin disorder service connection have been dismissed due to the death of the appellant.

The Veteran's hepatitis C with cirrhosis of the liver and portal hypertension is rated at 100% from August 3, 2016. The Board has granted a rating of 50% prior to that date, but found no evidence of near-constant debilitating symptoms or two or more episodes of ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, or hemorrhage from varices or portal gastropathy.

The Board denied service connection for a bilateral ankle disorder, hepatitis, and meningitis in April 2018. The decision was based on the absence of current diagnoses or a causal relationship to service.