Prostate cancer decisions — 2005

The Board has determined that the veteran's claim for service connection for prostate cancer was not properly notified of its denial, and thus his effective date is October 30, 1998. The effective date for SMC due to loss of a creative organ is also set at October 30, 1998.

The Board found no credible evidence of the veteran's exposure to ionizing radiation during service, and thus denied his claim for service connection for prostate cancer due to such exposure.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer, residuals of excision of a lipoma of the right anterior chest wall, malaria, Hodgkin's disease, hypertension, coronary artery disease (CAD), and abdominal aortic aneurysm. The appeal is not about service connection at all.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for dorsal spine arthritis, prostate cancer (claimed secondary to left varicocele), and arthritis of both knees, lumbar spine, and sacroiliac joints. The appeals were not granted.

The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence linking the conditions that caused his death to service.

The Board denied service connection for prostate cancer due to exposure to ionizing radiation and also denied the claim based on accrued benefits purposes. The cause of death was not related to active service.

The Board found no evidence of a back disability during service or for decades thereafter, and thus denied the veteran's claim for service connection for low back disability. The prostate cancer claim is pending as it relates to exposure to ionizing radiation.

The RO denied the veteran's claim for a higher rating for his prostate cancer residuals and granted a noncompensable rating for his generalized anxiety disorder with depression.

The Board denied the veteran's claim of service connection for prostate cancer, as secondary to herbicide exposure (including Agent Orange), due to a lack of evidence showing exposure to such agents during his active duty in Thailand.

The RO has restored the veteran's disability rating for prostate cancer residuals from 100% to 20%, effective June 1, 2001. The decision also addressed a previous reduction of his disability rating.

The veteran's initial evaluation for his service-connected prostate cancer, status post radical prostatectomy was granted at a 20 percent rating in August 2002 and subsequently increased to 40 percent effective from May 20, 2002. The current evaluation of 40 percent is considered insufficient given the veteran's reported symptoms.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for prostate cancer, an immunodeficiency syndrome with chronic upper respiratory infections, sinusitis and bronchitis, peripheral neuropathy of both lower extremities, post-traumatic stress disorder, hearing loss, and tinnitus. The reasons were that there was no evidence to support a link between these conditions and the veteran's service or radiation exposure.

The Board found that Alzheimer's type dementia, a significant condition contributing to death, was not service-connected and denied the claim for cause of death. The DIC claim under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 also failed.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have diabetes, peripheral neuropathy, or prostate cancer that is related to his military service. The evidence does not support a finding of any connection between the appellant's current conditions and his military service.

The veteran's service-connected prostate cancer, status post radical prostatectomy, is currently rated at 10 percent and effective from May 1, 2002.

The original rating for service-connected residuals of prostate cancer with radical prostatectomy was proper. The veteran's claim for an initial higher rating than 10 percent for the disability is denied.

The Board found that the veteran did not have exposure to herbicides during service, and thus could not establish presumptive service connection for prostate cancer. The Board also noted that there was no medical evidence linking the prostate cancer to any in-service event or condition, including presumed herbicide exposure.

The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that his prostate cancer did not metastasize to his bladder and therefore was not a contributing factor to his death. The Board also found no evidence linking his causes of death to exposure to toxic herbicides.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for dental trauma, prostate cancer, and scars, all claimed as due to exposure to ionizing radiation. The right leg disorder claim was not addressed in this decision.

The Board has granted a 100 percent evaluation for the service-connected psychiatric disability, effective from the date of the claim. The veteran's other claims (for hearing loss, pulmonary disability, arthritis, and prostate cancer) are not addressed as he withdrew his appeals regarding these issues.