Liver disease (hepatitis, cirrhosis) Board decisions

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hepatitis was denied as there is no evidence of current disability or a relationship between the condition and his military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hepatitis A, B, and C is being remanded due to the addition of relevant service records. The case will be reconsidered without regard to previous denials.

The Veteran has been diagnosed with Hepatitis C, but the medical evidence does not associate this condition with his active service. The Board denies entitlement to service connection for Hepatitis C.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining an addendum opinion from a VA specialist regarding the Veteran's hepatitis C and whether it is at least as likely as not related to sexually transmitted diseases or tattoos acquired during service. The claim will be reviewed after these developments.

The Veteran's claims for higher initial disability ratings for low back strain, hepatitis, bilateral tinea pedis with ingrown toenails, polyneuropathy of the right upper extremity, and polyneuropathy of the left upper extremity have been denied. The RO assigned a 20 percent rating for low back strain effective September 8, 2003, under DC 5292 (prior to September 26, 2003).

The Veteran's hepatitis-C infection and depression are both granted service connection.

The Board found that the Veteran's cause of death, hepatic cirrhosis, was not caused by a service-connected disability and thus denied both claims for service connection for the cause of death and additional burial benefits.

The Veteran's service connection claims for peripheral neuropathy and hepatitis A, B, and C due to herbicide exposure are denied as there is no competent evidence of current diagnoses or a link between the conditions and his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have hepatitis B and therefore denied service connection for this condition. The issue of hypertension is addressed in a separate remand.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for hepatitis B and hepatitis C, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his active service or any other relevant exposure. The Board also found that diabetes mellitus did not cause or aggravate the Veteran's hepatitis.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to missing SSA records and other actions.

The Veteran's hepatitis C with cirrhosis has been manifested by daily fatigue, malaise, and anorexia, but without weight loss or hepatomegaly. The disability does not meet the criteria for a higher rating as it is not productive of incapacitating episodes (with symptoms such as fatigue, malaise, nausea, vomiting, anorexia, arthralgia, and right upper quadrant pain) having a total duration of at least four weeks during the past 12-month period.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of any current psychiatric disability (PTSD) and hepatitis C.

The Board found that the Veteran's hepatitis C did not have its onset during service and ruled against his claim for service connection.

The Board denied the reopening of the claim for orchitis, status post left orchiectomy and denied service connection for hepatitis C. The decision also noted that no VA examination was provided in this context.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hepatitis C, and initial and maximum ratings for PTSD and substance abuse are being remanded due to the need for additional development.

The Veteran's hepatitis C and psychiatric disorder are not service-connected, as the former is due to his own drug use during service, which was willful misconduct. The latter does not meet the criteria for presumptive or direct service connection.

The Board found that the Veteran's hepatitis C was not incurred in service and denied his claim, concluding that it was more likely due to his own willful misconduct involving intravenous drug use.

The Veteran's claims have been dismissed due to his death.

The Board has determined that the claims must be remanded for further development due to incomplete notice and potential issues with service connection.