Hepatitis C decisions — 2020

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hepatitis C and lower back disability due to inadequate examinations and conflicting medical opinions. The Veteran is seeking service connection for these conditions, which are currently being reviewed.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to incomplete information and need for further development, including an addendum medical opinion addressing in-service and post-service risk factors related to hepatitis C.

The Board has remanded the case due to a motion alleging clear and unmistakable error in the April 2015 decision regarding the untimely submission of the VA Form 9. The effective date for TDIU remains under review.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a need for additional development regarding whether the Veteran's hepatitis C is related to service, specifically his claimed exposure to burn pits and human waste during his Southwest Asia deployment.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient records and a need for a medical opinion regarding the Veteran's hepatitis C. The appeal is not about service connection, but rather reopening of an existing claim.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether hepatitis C is related to service. The Veteran's claim will be reviewed again with a new examination.

The claim to reopen service connection for hepatitis C and liver cancer is granted. Effective dates are not assigned as the claims are still pending.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for major depressive disorder, insomnia disorder, neurocognitive disorder, thrombocytopenia, anemia, and cirrhosis of the liver are granted with effective dates starting from September 3, 2009.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete service records, specifically from the Veteran's reserve service. The Veteran needs to provide additional information about her reserve service and any potential exposure to Hepatitis C.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient development of evidence regarding the Veteran's hepatitis C and its relation to service, including possible in-service tattoo placement.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to an inadequate addendum opinion regarding the Veteran's hepatitis C. The Veteran must be provided a new VA examination to address whether his currently diagnosed hepatitis C is etiologically related to his active service, including his description of being vaccinated with shared needles during his enlistment into active service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the relationship between the Veteran's hepatitis C and his service. The Veteran served as a medical specialist, which could have exposed him to blood and needles during service.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding no evidence linking his terminal conditions to service.

Service connection for hepatitis C was denied due to lack of evidence linking the condition to service. The Veteran's application to reopen this claim was also denied as new evidence did not relate to unestablished facts necessary to substantiate the claim.,Service connection for schizoaffective disorder was granted after reopening the claim, with a May 2019 private medical opinion indicating that the condition began in service. The Veteran's application to reopen this claim was also denied as new evidence did not relate to unestablished facts necessary to substantiate the claim.,Service connection for skin disability and OSA were both denied due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection and TDIU due to potential missing VA treatment records, surgical reports, and a need for further examination. The referred claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for hepatitis C is also remanded.