Erectile dysfunction decisions — 2020

The Veteran is granted a total disability rating based upon individual unemployability from October 27, 2010 to January 28, 2016.,Beginning October 27, 2010, the Veteran is also granted special monthly compensation based on statutory housebound status.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's erectile dysfunction is aggravated by his service-connected diabetes type II.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development and examination regarding the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for erectile dysfunction as secondary to his service-connected lumbar spine degenerative disc disease status post fusion surgeries.

The Board denied service connection for memory loss, secondary to residuals of subtotal transsphenoidal resection of benign pituitary macroadenoma. The Board also denied service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities and tinnitus due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service or service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea, pseudofolliculitis barbae (PFB), deviated septum, right and left foot disorder, including pes planus, and erectile dysfunction with penis deformity have been granted. The Board found new and material evidence to reopen these claims.

The Board has denied a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss and has remanded the issues of service connection for peripheral vascular disease in both lower extremities and erectile dysfunction.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for benign prostatic hypertrophy, erectile dysfunction, cataracts, upper and lower extremity peripheral neuropathies, fibromyalgia, malaria, and right knee disorder due to incomplete service treatment records and need for additional medical opinions.

The Board has remanded the claims for prostate cancer and erectile dysfunction due to additional development being needed, including obtaining relevant service treatment records and VA treatment records. The Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents is not addressed as it was not verified during the initial review.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment, and the Board has granted TDIU based on this finding.

The Veteran is granted an earlier effective date of April 14, 1997 for the assignment of a 30 percent rating for PTSD.,The Veteran is granted an earlier effective date of March 8, 2004 for the award of service connection for peripheral edema of the bilateral lower extremities and gout.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for restless leg syndrome, initial compensable rating for scar, residuals status post right inguinal hernia repair, and initial rating in excess of 50 percent for bilateral pes planus with chronic associated pain in limb. The issues are related to new evidence that reopened his service connection claim.

The appeal to reopen the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, ED, and headaches is granted. The appeals to reopen the claim of service connection for a psychiatric disability (to include depression and PTSD), hypertension, and sleep apnea are also granted.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) prior to July 2, 2019. The Board found that the Veteran was not rendered incapable of participating in any substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities and past education and work experience.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's erectile dysfunction is caused by his service-connected coronary artery disease, granting service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for tinea pedis with tinea cruris, as it did not cover more than 40% of his body or exposed areas. For other conditions, the preponderance of the evidence was against finding a direct relationship to service.

The Veteran's residuals of traumatic brain injury are currently rated at 40 percent, and the Board has denied a higher evaluation. The issue of SMC is remanded for further development.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for an abdominal aortic and iliac artery aneurysm and erectile dysfunction, finding that there is no evidence to support these claims.

The Board has granted the petitions to reopen the previously denied claims for service connection for left lower extremity (LLE) peripheral neuropathy, right lower extremity (RLE) peripheral neuropathy, and erectile dysfunction (ED), all claimed as secondary to diabetes mellitus type II. The claims are remanded due to the unadjudicated claim of service connection for diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's claim for VR&E services, including additional education to pursue a career as a professor or school counselor, is remanded due to the need for a new vocational rehabilitation evaluation considering his current symptomatology and service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for right mid-thigh lower extremity amputation and entitlement to automobile or other conveyance and adaptive equipment or adaptive equipment only due to a lack of an adequate VA medical opinion regarding these issues.