Citation Nr: 21040285 Decision Date: 07/03/21 Archive Date: 07/03/21 DOCKET NO. 16-61 266 DATE: July 3, 2021 REMANDED Entitlement to service connection for hepatitis C is remanded. REASONS FOR REMAND The Veteran served on active duty from February 1969 to February 1971. This matter comes before the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) on appeal of a June 2015 rating decision by a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO). The Veteran testified at a hearing conducted by the undersigned Veterans Law Judge in March 2021. A transcript of the hearing has been associated with the Veteran's VA claims file. Entitlement to service connection for hepatitis C is remanded. The Veteran contends that his hepatitis C is related to his hepatitis diagnosis during active duty service. At his March 2021 Board hearing, the Veteran testified that he was diagnosed with hepatitis in service. He testified that it could have been A, B, or C, and that back then it was just hepatitis. He testified that he was in the hospital for approximately 6 to 8 weeks in Korea. He testified that he was unable to remember the name of the hospital. Service treatment records (STRs) indicate the Veteran received treatment in Korea at Seoul Military Hospital, 121st Evacuation Hospital and the 11th Evacuation Hospital. The Board is aware that, typically, hospital records are archived separate and apart from service treatment records and, to date, there has been no attempt to determine whether any records of hospitalization exist. These records may help the Veteran establish service connection for hepatitis C. Therefore, a remand is needed to request and associate with the file any service hospital records concerning the Veteran. Should the record request result in the RO obtaining evidence relevant to the Veteran's service connection claim, an addendum opinion should be obtained. The matters are REMANDED for the following action: 1. Obtain any outstanding VA treatment records. 2. Take all appropriate action to obtain records of any inpatient treatment or hospitalization during service in 1970, to include records from Seoul Military Hospital, 121st Evacuation Hospital and the 11th Evacuation Hospital. If any records cannot be obtained after reasonable efforts have been made, issue a formal determination that such records do not exist or that further efforts to obtain such records would be futile, which should be documented in the claims file. The Veteran must be notified of the attempts made and why further attempts would be futile, and allowed the opportunity to provide such records, as provided in 38 U.S.C. § 5103A(b)(2) and 38 C.F.R. § 3.159(e). 3. Thereafter, if any treatment records contain evidence relevant to the Veteran's claim, arrange for an appropriate health care provider to review the Veteran's claims file and provide an opinion as to whether it is at least as likely as not (50 percent probability or greater) that hepatitis C had its clinical onset during service or is due to an event or incident of the Veteran's period of active service. The examiner is advised that the Veteran is competent to report symptoms, treatment, and injuries, and that his reports must be considered in formulating the requested opinion. However, if there is a medical reason to doubt its veracity, the examiner should explain why the Veteran's statements or recollection are inconsistent with the evidence in this case, medical principles relating to the onset and progress of the disease, the specific findings in the record, and/or your professional judgment. A clear rationale for all opinions would be helpful and a discussion of the facts and medical principles involved would be of considerable assistance to the Board. M. Donohue Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans' Appeals Attorney for the Board D. Aston, Associate Counsel The Board's decision in this case is binding only with respect to the instant matter decided. This decision is not precedential and does not establish VA policies or interpretations of general applicability. 38 C.F.R. § 20.1303.