Hepatitis C decisions — 2019

The Veteran's back disability and liver condition are being remanded for further development. His TDIU claim from April 29, 2011 to May 20, 2017 is also being remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of hepatitis C and tuberculosis were denied in prior rating decisions. New evidence has reopened these claims, but the claims are still denied as there is no current disability related to these conditions.,Service connection was also denied for a skin disorder of the penis, to include dermatitis and a fungal disorder.

The Board has not yet decided the claims for hepatitis C and bilateral hearing loss. The VA is instructed to complete all necessary development and then readjudicate these cases.

The Board has denied the Veteran's service connection claim for bilateral hearing loss due to a lack of evidence of current disability. The claims for loss of sense of smell, Hepatitis C, and Hepatitis B are remanded for additional development.

A rating of 30 percent for major depressive disorder from December 2, 2011 to August 9, 2015 is granted. Appeals seeking service connection for various knee and ankle disorders, as well as earlier effective dates for the psychiatric and skin disabilities are dismissed.

The Veteran's petitions to reopen claims of service connection for various conditions were denied as new and material evidence was not received. The appeals are dismissed.

The Board dismissed the appeal due to the appellant's death, and no service connection was granted for any condition.

The Board denied service connection for Hepatitis C as the Veteran was not exposed to unclean vaccination needles in service and his disease is not related to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hepatitis C is related to service-related risk factors, including drug and alcohol abuse secondary to PTSD. The Board grants service connection for hepatitis C.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for acquired psychiatric disorder, substance abuse, and hepatitis C. The evidence does not support a diagnosis of PTSD or any other mental health condition related to military service. Substance abuse is considered willful misconduct, precluding service connection. Hepatitis C is linked to the Veteran's history of intravenous drug use.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to the grant of prostate cancer, and sleep apnea has not been verified. The Veteran is also being examined for hepatitis C, erectile dysfunction (secondary to prostate cancer), and a psychiatric disability other than PTSD.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient examination and opinion regarding the Veteran's claim for hepatitis C.

The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and denied an increased rating for hepatitis C. For the former, it was found that the Veteran's current bilateral hearing loss meets VA criteria for a disability and is presumed to have been incurred in service due to noise exposure during military service. For the latter, the evidence did not meet the criteria for a 60% rating as required by Diagnostic Code 7354.

The Board denied readjudication of the issues of service connection for hepatitis C, pseudofolliculitis barbae, and tinea versicolor because VA did not receive new and relevant evidence after the initial AMA rating decision in December 2018.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for hepatitis C and remanded the issues of secondary service connection for cirrhosis of the liver and thrombocytopenic disorder.