Liver disease (hepatitis, cirrhosis) — all decisions

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 Board has remanded the case due to insufficient examination and review of medical records, particularly regarding the Veteran's exposure to Agent Orange and his service-connected conditions.

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 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The Veteran's claims for service connection have been withdrawn. The TDIU claim is denied. The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for coronary artery disease and diabetes mellitus secondary to herbicide agent exposure.

The Veteran's hepatitis B was found to be non-symptomatic and not active, resulting in a denial of an initial compensable rating. The Veteran's TDIU claim was also denied as his service-connected disabilities did not render him unemployable.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death and denied entitlement to burial benefits. The cause of death was listed as cirrhosis of the liver, which is not considered related to service or a service-connected disability.

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

The Veteran's service-connected hepatitis B disability is granted with a 20% rating from July 11, 2006 to September 20, 2018. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability remains at 20% since September 25, 2018.

The Veteran's claims for initial compensable ratings for osteoporosis and primary biliary cirrhosis are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations to determine their current severity.

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 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 Veteran's claim for service connection for chronic hepatitis is denied as there is no current diagnosis of the condition.

The Veteran died from septic shock and cirrhosis at a non-VA facility with prior VA authorization. The Board granted nonservice-connected burial benefits as the appellant paid for the funeral expenses.

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

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.

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.