Prostate cancer decisions — 2008

The veteran's need for regular aid and attendance due to his severe degenerative joint disease of the knees, morbid obesity, hypertension, and prostate cancer has been granted. The veteran is also entitled to special monthly pension by reason of being housebound as he requires assistance in exiting and entering his dwelling or moving within it.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for prostate cancer, erectile dysfunction, voiding dysfunction, and depression due to herbicide exposure. The evidence did not show service in Vietnam or any other credible basis for presumptive service connection.

The veteran's residuals of prostate cancer are manifested by no more than a daytime voiding interval of between two and three hours, or; awakening to void two times per night. The criteria for an increased rating for residuals of prostate cancer are not met.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD and prostate cancer with erectile dysfunction, including due to Agent Orange exposure. The veteran's stressor claim was not supported by credible evidence.

The Board has determined that the veteran's prostate cancer was not incurred during his active military service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The veteran's claim for an increased disability rating for service-connected prostate cancer is being remanded due to procedural defects in the VCAA notice.

The veteran's claims for service connection for prostate cancer, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and depression are being remanded due to the need for further evaluation of his exposure to ionizing radiation in service.

The veteran's prostate cancer and cysts/dermatofibromas were not found to be related to his military service, including exposure to herbicides or Agent Orange.

The veteran died of metastatic renal carcinoma, which the VA medical opinion found was not related to his service. The appellant claimed that prostate cancer and diabetes mellitus type II contributed to his death.,The veteran did not have a permanent total service-connected disability at the time of his death or die as a result of a service-connected disability.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board has granted entitlement to TDIU.

The RO reduced the evaluation for prostate cancer from a 100 percent to a noncompensable evaluation effective May 1, 2005. From April 3, 2007 onwards, the veteran is entitled to a 60 percent evaluation.

The veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The Board found that prostate cancer and erectile dysfunction are not related to his active service, and hearing loss was not shown to meet the criteria for a disability under VA regulations.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for an evaluation in excess of 20 percent for status post radical prostatectomy and restoration of a 100 percent disability rating, finding that there is no evidence of recurrence or metastasis of his prostate cancer.

The veteran is seeking an earlier effective date for a permanent and total disability rating due to prostate cancer, which he claims recurred as early as 2001. The RO granted the increased rating on February 10, 2004, but the veteran argues that his condition actually began earlier based on PSA test results from prior years.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for initial ratings of 20% and 10%, respectively, for prostate cancer and Type II diabetes with neuropathy associated with herbicide exposure. The conditions are rated based on their primary manifestations.

The Board has granted a higher disability rating of 60 percent for the veteran's post-operative residuals of prostatectomy, effective from May 1, 2005. The previous ratings were 40 percent and 100 percent.

The Board denied service connection for prostate cancer, basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas, and duodenal ulcers claimed as due to exposure to tear gas during service. The evidence did not support a causal link between the veteran's cancers or ulcer and his military service.

The Board found that the veteran's prostate cancer is not a result of any established event, injury, or disease during active service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has denied the veteran's request for restoration of a 100 percent rating and assignment of a higher than 60 percent rating for his prostate cancer, finding that criteria are not met for these ratings.

The veteran's claims for service connection of diabetes mellitus and prostate cancer are being remanded due to the need to obtain his service personnel records, verify if he was exposed to pesticides/insecticides during service, and provide a nexus opinion regarding whether these conditions are related to his military service.