Here’s a decision that grants the Vet SC for Hepatitis with nothing more than jetguns as a risk factor. You say: Hey! All well and good. Then the Idiots at Military Order of the Purple Heart(MOPH) don’t take the next obvious step and link all his other obvious hep illnesses as secondary to the Hepatitis. This is financial suicide for the Vet because he can now ONLY collect the VA pension instead of VA Compensation AND SSD. The majority of this Vet’s symptoms are attributable to Hepatitis. It’s a no brainer. He’s unemployable and no one disputes that. The hangup is that the BVA and the VSO collude, come up with a sub par Hepatitis rating that doesn’t encompass his true disabilities, and then give this VET the bum’s rush to Pension @ 100%. That’s a weak $3 K/mo.(or $36 K/yr.) assuming he’s married w/o children. If he were getting it as Comp., he’d probably get another $1500.00 (SSD)on top and be in the $54 K/yr.tax free bracket. Conspiracy? Who knows? Call it the Bracket Racket. I used the MOPH chuckleheads my last time out and they said I’d never get Hepatitis and especially not my PCT- ever. Of course , they also said if I had any tattoos I was sunk and we know that advice is bogus. I finally gave THEM the Bum’s Rush and won without all their valuable help. This advice is not for everyone- mind you. There are some very sharp VSOs out there who are invaluable to your legal strategy. I just haven’t been lucky enough to meet one yet in my 20 year quest for Justice. This is also another one of those “be careful what you ask for” claims. The Vet/VSO specifically asked for a “non-service connected” pension instead of a Total Disability for Individual Unemployability(TDIU). There is a big difference here- about $18,000.00 a year difference and the totally tax free nature of a compensation rating with SSD. I personally think he could have made his case for TDIU. That is not chump change. Be careful Veterans!

http://www.va.gov/vetapp08/Files5/0837526.txt