BVA9508359 
DOCKET NO.  93-11 797     )       DATE
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On appeal from the decision of the
Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office in St. Petersburg,
Florida

THE ISSUES

1.  Entitlement to service connection for hepatitis, including a
spleen disorder.

2.  Entitlement to service connection for gynecomastia.

REPRESENTATION

Appellant represented by: Veterans of Foreign Wars of the
United States

WITNESSES AT HEARING ON APPEAL

Appellant and his wife

ATTORNEY FOR THE BOARD

D. B. Weiss, Associate Counsel

REMAND

The veteran had active duty from March 1962 to March 1965.

A Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical expert has provided
a special opinion in this case, which opinion, in itself, gives
rise to the need for additional development of the claim for
service connection for hepatitis.  The expert appears to indicate
that the veteran does not have chronic hepatitis B but may have
chronic hepatitis C, formerly known as nonA-nonB.  The expert did
not provide a clear opinion as to whether any chronic current
hepatitis is related to service.

To ensure that the VA has met its duty to assist the claimant in
developing the facts pertinent to the claims and to ensure full
compliance with due process requirements, the case is REMANDED to
the regional office (RO) for the following development:

1.  The RO should obtain the names and
addresses of all medical care providers who
treated the veteran for drug abuse or
hepatitis from service to the present.
After securing the necessary release, the
RO should attempt to obtain all outstanding
records.  This should include records of
the veteran's liver biopsy, and a search
for 1967 Brooklyn VA hospital liver
function studies.

2.  The veteran should be afforded a VA
examination by a hepatologist to determine
whether the veteran has chronic hepatitis
or any residuals of what was diagnosed as
hepatitis in service.  If the latter, then
the residuals should be described in
detail.  If chronic hepatitis is diagnosed,
then the examiner should specify what kind
of chronic hepatitis is present, and
whether it is related to the episode of
hepatitis in service.  Complete serological
testing for hepatitis A, B, and C, to
include anti-HAV (IgG or "total"), HBcAb,
HBsAb, HBsAg, HB"e"Ag, HBV-DNA, and anti-
HCV testing, should be performed.  Liver
function studies including SGPT, SGOT, GGT,
serum bilirubin, serum proteins (albumin
and globulins) and a CBC, and alanine
transaminase, should be performed.  An
explanation of the tests performed and a
narrative explanation of the results
obtained should be provided.  If any
question stated herein cannot be reasonably
medically answered, then the examiner
should state this expressly.  A complete
history should be obtained.  The claims
folder must be made available to the
examiner for review before the examination
and to enable the examiner to render the
requested opinions.  The examiner should
attempt to reconcile any discrepancies
between the current findings and opinions
and those made by the VA medical expert who
reviewed this case in January 1995.

3.  After the development requested above
has been completed to the extent possible,
the RO should again review the record.  If
any benefit sought on appeal, for which a
notice of disagreement has been filed,
remains denied, the appellant and
representative should be furnished a
supplemental statement of the case and
given the opportunity to respond thereto.

Thereafter, the case should be returned to the Board of Veterans'
Appeals (Board), if in order.  The Board intimates no opinion as
to the ultimate outcome of this case.  The appellant need take no
action until otherwise notified.

          WILLIAM J. REDDY
          Member, Board of Veterans' Appeals

The Board of Veterans' Appeals Administrative Procedures
Improvement Act, Pub. L. No. 103-271, § 6, 108 Stat. 740, ___
(1994), permits a proceeding instituted before the Board to be
assigned to an individual member of the Board for a
determination.  This proceeding has been assigned to an
individual member of the Board.

Under 38 U.S.C.A. § 7252 (West 1991), only a decision of the
Board of Veterans' Appeals is appealable to the United States
Court of Veterans Appeals.  This remand is in the nature of a
preliminary order and does not constitute a decision of the Board
on the merits of your appeal.  38 C.F.R. § 20.1100(b) (1994).