Liver disease (hepatitis, cirrhosis) Board decisions

The Board has determined that the veteran's hepatitis is healed without residual symptoms and does not warrant a higher rating.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hepatitis and a higher evaluation for his low back disability. The claim for hepatitis was found to be not well grounded, while the low back disability received a 20% rating effective from March 2000.

The Board denied service connection for hepatitis and liver disease, finding that the appellant's condition was a result of his own drug abuse in service.

The Board found that the cause of the veteran's death was not service-connected and denied the claim for service connection for the cause of his death.

The veteran's claim for an effective date prior to September 26, 1995, for the grant of service connection for hepatitis C as secondary to a gunshot wound is denied.

The Board is unable to determine whether new and material evidence has been submitted for the veteran's claims of service connection for residuals of head injury (concussion) and hepatitis. The decision remains undecided.

The Board found that the appellant's claims for service connection were not well grounded, and thus denied them.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for an increased rating for his hepatitis, currently rated at 60 percent.

The veteran's hepatitis C and sinusitis claims are not well-grounded. The sinusitis claim is granted with a 30% evaluation, effective September 20, 1996.

The Board found that the veteran's claims of service connection for schizophrenia, hepatitis, chronic prostatitis, and hypertension were not well grounded. The evidence did not show any current disabilities or a link between these conditions and his military service.

The VA determined that the veteran's infectious hepatitis is healed or asymptomatic, and thus does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.

The veteran's claim for service connection for hepatitis C is not well grounded.,The veteran's bilateral calluses of the feet with metatarsalgia are currently evaluated at 10% each, but the Board finds that this evaluation does not meet the criteria for an increased rating.

The Board found that the veteran's service-connected disabilities did not materially accelerate his death and denied service connection for the cause of his death.

The veteran's claim of service connection for hepatitis B is granted, as it was related to his blood transfusion during active service in the Republic of Vietnam. The petition to reopen his claim of residuals of removal of penile cysts is also granted.

The Board is unable to determine if the claim of service connection for the cause of the veteran's death is well-grounded due to missing medical records. The case is being remanded for further development.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for dysthymic disorder as secondary to his service-connected infectious hepatitis and a compensable evaluation for his infectious hepatitis, finding that there was no current disability or evidence linking it to his service-connected condition.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for hepatitis, finding new and material evidence. However, it is unclear whether the veteran developed hepatitis during service or due to other factors.

The Board is remanding the case to obtain medical opinions regarding whether the veteran's service-connected PTSD led to alcohol abuse and chronic substance abuse, which in turn contributed to his death.

The Board found that the veteran does not have demonstrable liver damage or gastrointestinal disturbance related to his service-connected hepatitis, and thus denied a compensable evaluation.

The Board has determined that the veteran's right ankle disability, steatohepatitis, and skin disorder are not related to his period of active service. The veteran's claim for a left knee disability is granted with an effective date of March 23, 1993.