Liver disease (hepatitis, cirrhosis) Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient efforts in obtaining records from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and the Medical Center of Port Arthur. The Veteran's hepatitis C and its residuals are being reviewed again with additional evidence considered.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hepatitis C and adenocarcinoma of the liver are not related to his military service, including presumed exposure to herbicides. The claims for service connection have been denied.

The Veteran's prostate cancer residuals are associated with voiding dysfunction requiring changing of absorbent pads five times daily, warranting a rating higher than 40 percent.,New and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim for service connection for renal cell carcinoma. The evidence suggests that it may be related to hepatitis B.

The Board denied the reopening of a claim for service connection for hepatitis, finding that new and material evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim.

The Board found that the Veteran's hepatitis C was not incurred during service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current diagnosis of hepatitis C is not related to his military service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hepatitis C is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination to determine if his current condition is related to military service, including possible transmission through air gun injections of vaccines.

The Veteran's PTSD, hepatitis C, and tinea pedis were all granted service connection. The Veteran was awarded a rating of 30 percent for PTSD, 20 percent for hepatitis C, and no compensation for the bilateral feet condition.

The Board has determined that additional searches for the Veteran's service treatment records and National Guard/National Reserve records are necessary, as well as an attempt to obtain hospitalization records from 1984. The VA examiner who conducted the June 2012 VA ankle examination is requested to provide a medical opinion regarding whether any current bilateral ankle disability including arthritis is related to disease or injury in active service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and an addendum opinion from a VA examiner to address the Veteran's allegations of sharing razors and receiving air gun inoculation in service, as well as his February 2010 private medical opinion.

The Board has dismissed the appeal due to the appellant's withdrawal of his claims.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been denied as there is no evidence of a current disability or a link to service. The Board finds that the Veteran does not have chronic balanitis, and his stroke was not caused by asbestos.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal, thus the case is dismissed.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hepatitis C is not related to his military service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board finds that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's hepatitis C virus was contracted during active service, and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's proteinuria and hepatitis C have been evaluated, but the psychiatric disability claim is pending further clarification.

The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence linking his death to his service-connected disability or exposure to herbicide agents.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus, left wrist DJD, and hepatitis C are related to service. The right shoulder, right knee, left knee, low back, and respiratory disabilities are not shown to be related to service. Bilateral hearing loss is also not shown to be related to service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development, including obtaining medical opinions regarding her hepatitis and liver disease, as well as her bilateral wrist, arm/elbow, and back disabilities. The TDIU claim is also being deferred until further adjudication of the other issues.

The Veteran's hepatitis C and hypertension are not service-connected as they are both attributed to his own willful misconduct, specifically intravenous drug use for hepatitis C and alcohol abuse for hypertension.