The Board denied service connection for hepatitis C due to a lack of evidence linking the condition to service, including inconsistent accounts of in-service blood exposure. Service connection was also denied for an acquired psychiatric disorder (claimed as PTSD) due to the appellant's assertion that it resulted from the Veteran's own willful misconduct.,The Board found no credible evidence supporting the Veteran's claims of in-service blood exposure and concluded his assertions were inconsistent with the available medical records.
The deciding factor: Service connection cannot be granted for hepatitis C as there is insufficient evidence to link the condition to service, including conflicting accounts of in-service blood exposure. The acquired psychiatric disorder (claimed as PTSD) was not found to have a nexus to service due to the Veteran's admitted history of drug use.
- Claimed conditions
- Hepatitis C, Acquired Psychiatric Disorder (claimed as PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 5, 2017
- Citation
- 1719838
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 1719838.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied a compensable initial rating for Hepatitis C, finding that the Veteran's condition was asymptomatic and did not meet the criteria for any higher rating.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's Hepatitis C with cirrhosis is related to service, and therefore grants service connection for these conditions.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's depressive disorder is granted as service-connected, with the Board finding it related to his active duty service and aggravated by his service-connected tibia fractures. The claim for hepatitis C is remanded due to inadequate medical opinions regarding its etiology.,Service connection for depressive disorder is established based on direct evidence of a current disability (depressive disorder) that was incurred during active duty service.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected Hepatitis C, lumbar DDD with strain, osteomyelitis, and loss of use of right foot disability rendered him so helpless as to be in need of regular aid and attendance. Effective October 28, 2008, the Veteran meets the criteria for SMC under various provisions.
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