The Board has determined that the appellant does not have a current diagnosis of hepatitis B or C, and thus cannot establish service connection for these conditions. The claim for a separate disability evaluation for degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the lumbar spine is denied as there is no evidence to support an additional rating beyond what is already assigned for his service-connected lumbar strain.
The deciding factor: The appellant's claims are based on past diagnoses of hepatitis B and C, which have resolved. The VA examination did not identify any current active disease or condition related to these conditions. For the DJD claim, there was no evidence provided that supported an additional rating beyond what is already assigned for his service-connected lumbar strain.
- Claimed conditions
- hepatic steatosis (claimed as hepatitis B or C), degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 16, 2009
- Citation
- 0943492
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0943492.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and an initial disability rating in excess of 20 percent prior to March 2, 2017, and in excess of 40 percent thereafter for degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the lumbar spine. The evidence did not establish a nexus between current hearing loss or DJD of the lumbar spine and service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including left and right eye dry eyes, cataracts of the left and right eyes, neuropathy of the left lower extremity, radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, left renal arteriovenous malformation, aneurysm, pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB), degenerative joint disease (DJD) of the lumbar spine, recurrent subluxation of the left knee prior to May 13, 2020, left total knee replacement, disability rating in excess of 60 percent from September 1, 2021, forward for left total knee replacement, DJD of the right knee, right knee instability, burns of the bilateral ankles, linear scar of the left knee, post-surgical tender scars of the left knee, and a total disability rating due to unemployability (TDIU) based upon service-connected disabilities prior to June 14, 2019.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for further development to ensure that VA substantially complies with its duty to assist the Veteran.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remanded the veteran's claims for service connection for DJD of the lumbar spine and trochanteric pain syndrome of both hips due to new and relevant evidence.
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