The Veteran's hepatitis C disability was found to be predominantly manifested by intermittent fatigue and right upper quadrant pain prior to August 27, 2018. Since then, it has been characterized by daily fatigue. The Board denied the claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent prior to August 27, 2018 and in excess of 20 percent since.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's symptoms did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under Diagnostic Code 7354 due to lack of daily fatigue, malaise, anorexia, nausea, vomiting, arthralgia, or weight loss requiring dietary restriction or continuous medication, or incapacitating episodes with total duration of at least two weeks.
- Claimed conditions
- Hepatitis C
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 30, 2020
- Citation
- 20076106
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 20076106.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for cirrhosis, hepatitis C, hepatocellular carcinoma, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), gastritis, Barrett's esophagus, and obstructive sleep apnea but dismissed the claim for an acquired psychiatric disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a new VA addendum opinion to determine if the Veteran's liver cancer and hepatitis C are related to his active service, including exposure to agent orange.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for several conditions, including lumbar spine degenerative arthritis and radiculopathy of the sciatic and femoral nerves, with effective dates from March 15, 2013. The Board also granted a TDIU and DEA based on unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, and hepatitis C as there was no evidence of functional impairment sufficient to warrant a higher rating.
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