Prostate cancer decisions — 2004

The Board has granted service connection for prostate cancer and diabetes mellitus type II as secondary to Agent Orange exposure, but denied the claims for increased evaluations for bilateral hearing loss.

The veteran is seeking service connection for prostate cancer, which he claims is related to his already service-connected prostatitis. The Board has decided that a VA examination and opinion are needed to determine the nature of the prostate cancer and its relationship to the service-connected condition.

The Board denied the claim of service connection for the cause of death, finding that prostate cancer did not have a direct link to service and was not caused by or contributed substantially to the veteran's death.

The Board has determined that the veteran's prostate cancer and peripheral neuropathy of the feet are not related to his military service, as there is no evidence showing their onset during or within one year after service. The claims for these conditions have been denied.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected prostate cancer.

The Board granted service connection for prostate cancer, status post radical prostatectomy, due to Agent Orange exposure. The veteran was initially rated noncompensable from November 24, 1999 to February 28, 2001 and then received a 10 percent rating from March 1, 2001 to November 28, 2001, before being granted a 20 percent rating effective November 29, 2001.

The veteran's prostate cancer, which occurred after a radical prostatectomy, is being reviewed to determine if it was caused by or aggravated by his service-connected prostatitis. The Board has ordered further development including a VA examination and notification under the VCAA.

The Board denied the veteran's claim of service connection for prostate cancer, which he claimed was due to herbicide exposure. The decision found that his service on an aircraft carrier did not constitute 'service in Vietnam' and thus could not be presumed to have been incurred during such service.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development of the medical records and a VA genitourinary examination.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining medical opinions regarding whether hypertension is secondary to service-connected prostate cancer/prostatectomy and PTSD.

The veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating were denied. Service connection was not granted as the medical evidence did not show that his prostate cancer or residuals of an epididymectomy were incurred in or aggravated by service, or proximately due to a service-connected disability.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of his sleep apnea syndrome and prostate cancer, as well as a need for additional development on the claim for an increased disability rating for hemorrhoids.

The Board has determined that the veteran's prostate cancer was not incurred in or aggravated by service, and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board found that the veteran's cause of death was not related to his service-connected PTSD or any other service-connected disabilities, and concluded that it resulted from his own willful misconduct.

The Board found that the reduction of the veteran's rating from 100 to noncompensable was proper as there had been improvement. Restoration of a total rating of 100 percent for prostate cancer is not warranted.

The veteran is seeking service connection for prostate cancer, which he claims was caused by ionizing radiation exposure during his military service. The VA has not yet determined the extent of any such exposure and is requesting additional information from the Air Force Medical Operations Agency.

The Board found that the veteran's residuals of prostate cancer are appropriately evaluated as 40 percent disabling on the basis of urine leakage, and denied his claim for an increased initial combined rating.

The veteran's claim for an initial compensable evaluation for prostate cancer, status post radiation therapy, following termination of the initial schedular 100 percent evaluation is being remanded due to lack of adequate medical evidence and potential failure to follow VA rating reduction procedures.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of the veteran's death due to prostate and lung cancers, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for the cause of his death and denied his DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318, finding that Parkinson's disease was not incurred or aggravated in service and did not contribute to his death.