Hepatitis C: VA claim review preparation
Separate confirmation of the diagnosis, the claimed link to service, and the residual effects being evaluated.

Start with the notice
- Keep the complete decision notice, the reasons for each denied issue, favorable findings, evidence list, and instructions for review. Separate a denied service connection from a dispute about the percentage or effective date.
- Mark which disputed fact each record addresses. For an HLR, point to evidence already in the record; a Supplemental Claim requires new and relevant evidence. Verify the available lane before sending anything.
- Keep a copy of the form, attachments and filing receipt. These preparation notes do not file a claim or establish that VA received it.

Condition-specific records to gather
- Gather the diagnostic tests, treatment dates, treatment response and current specialist assessment.
- Create an accurate timeline of relevant service and non-service risk factors. Ask a qualified clinician to explain the connection being claimed, rather than inferring it from chronology alone.
- Identify any documented cirrhosis or other residual condition and the symptoms attributed to it. Match each disagreement to the actual reasons in the decision.

Current Diagnostic Code 7354 directs evaluation under 7345. The same signs and symptoms cannot be counted again under a code for residuals. Older decisions may use earlier criteria.

Notes for you and your representative:
Disputed issue:
Record / date / what it addresses:
Missing information:
Next step and filing receipt:

U.S. federal VA benefits. Educational preparation, not medical or legal advice; not a VA form or a filing. Keep your completed copy private. A historical Board outcome does not predict your result.
Official sources reviewed 2026-10-07:
VA: evidence needed for a disability claim: https://www.va.gov/disability/how-to-file-claim/evidence-needed/
38 CFR 4.114: current digestive rating criteria: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-38/section-4.114
VA: Liver Conditions DBQ: https://www.benefits.va.gov/compensation/docs/liver-conditions.pdf
https://www.veterans-rights.com/appeal-options
https://www.veterans-rights.com/deadlines
https://www.veterans-rights.com/find-a-rep