Erectile dysfunction decisions — 2011

The Board has restored the Veteran's 100% disability rating for his service-connected residuals of radical retropubic prostatectomy due to cancer, effective January 1, 2008.

The Veteran's appeal of a retroactive temporary total rating based on surgery for prostate cancer in June 2004 was dismissed due to the finality of the September 2005 rating decision. The claims for increased ratings for diabetes mellitus and erectile dysfunction, as well as reopening service connection for psychiatric disorder, are addressed.

The Board denied service connection for the claimed conditions, including ED and sleep apnea, as they were not shown to be related to service or a service-connected disability.

The Veteran seeks service connection for hypertension, which he claims is secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus with erectile dysfunction and coronary artery disease. The Board has determined that further development is needed to clarify the relationship between these conditions.

The Board found no evidence linking the Veteran's current left hip disorder, erectile dysfunction, or GERD to his military service. The claims for these conditions were denied.

The Veteran's claims of increased evaluations for myofascial pain of the right shoulder girdle muscles and hypertension with erectile dysfunction were denied as there was no new and material evidence to reopen his service connection claim, and the VA examinations did not show an increase in severity since the last examination.

The Veteran's request for an increased evaluation for his right knee disability is granted.,A separate evaluation for the scar associated with his right knee disability is denied.,An evaluation in excess of 50 percent for PTSD from October 13, 2007 is granted.,An evaluation in excess of 70 percent for PTSD from June 12, 2008 is granted.,The Veteran's claim for a compensable evaluation for his bilateral hearing loss is denied.,Service connection for the Veteran's bleeding ulcer is granted as secondary to service-connected PTSD.,Service connection for sleep apnea with CPAP is granted as secondary to service-connected PTSD.,Service connection for psoriasis is granted as secondary to service-connected PTSD.,Service connection for erectile dysfunction is granted as secondary to service-connected PTSD.,The Veteran's heart disorder, presumed due to herbicide exposure, is granted.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a disorder of the vas deferens and depression, as well as his attempts to reopen his previously denied claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus Type II (DMII) and erectile dysfunction.,A VA urology examination is required to determine if the Veteran's development of erectile dysfunction was caused by his service-connected hypertension.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine is granted, with a current rating of 40 percent. Service connection for prostatitis and erectile dysfunction secondary to service-connected back disability are also granted.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for esophageal cancer, type II diabetes mellitus, erectile dysfunction, peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities, and peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities, all claimed as due to herbicide exposure. The evidence did not establish a link between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.

The Veteran seeks service connection for erectile dysfunction that is claimed to be aggravated by his service-connected diabetes mellitus. The case has been remanded due to the need for a more adequate VA examination.

The Board has determined that the evidence satisfactorily establishes that the Veteran's current tinnitus is related to active service and grants service connection for tinnitus.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing notification as required by Kent v. Nicholson.

The Veteran's tinnitus, hypertension, diabetes mellitus type II, erectile dysfunction, and peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities were not shown to be related to service.,Service connection was denied for all claimed conditions.

The Veteran's erectile dysfunction, hypertension, cardiac condition, right upper extremity peripheral neuropathy and left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy are all found to be secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities. The combined disability rating is 60% from June 20, 2002, and 100% from July 11, 2005.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for erectile dysfunction is denied as there is no evidence of any current penis deformity.,The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection for erectile dysfunction is denied because there is no evidence of an unadjudicated formal or informal claim prior to November 29, 2006.

The Veteran's claims for diabetes mellitus type II, hypertension, heart disorder, dental disability, cataracts, and erectile dysfunction are denied as there is no evidence of in-service incurrence or a relationship to service.,There is no current diagnosis of a dental disability. The Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of diabetic neuropathy. Service connection for these conditions cannot be granted on a direct basis due to lack of evidence of an in-service injury, disease, or event and the absence of medical records showing treatment within one year after service.,The Board finds that diabetes mellitus type II is not related to active service as there is no evidence of its onset during service. The Veteran's blood pressure readings were normal at separation from service and post-service hypertension was first diagnosed years later.,Service connection for a heart disorder, cataracts, and erectile dysfunction cannot be granted on a secondary basis because diabetes mellitus type II is not a service-connected disease.

The Veteran's prostate cancer is presumed to have been incurred due to herbicide exposure during his service in Thailand. The issue of erectile dysfunction secondary to hypertension remains under review.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for his service-connected erectile dysfunction is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a physical examination.