Prostate cancer decisions — 2009

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for hypertension. The claims for service connection for hair loss, diabetes mellitus, and prostate cancer have been denied as there is no evidence of a chronic disability manifested by these conditions in service or within one year after discharge.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including verification of herbicide exposure and a VA examination to determine if there is a nexus between the Veteran's diagnosed prostate cancer and his service.

The Veteran's prostate cancer was not found to be related to service, including exposure to ionizing radiation. The claim for service connection is denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's private medical expenses incurred on April 10, 2002, September 9, 2002, and March 10, 2003 were not authorized by VA and did not meet the criteria for payment or reimbursement under Chapter 17 of Title 38 U.S.C.A.

The Veteran's service connection claim for prostate cancer is granted on a presumptive basis due to herbicide exposure during his Vietnam-era service.

For the period prior to January 17, 2006, the Veteran is not entitled to an initial evaluation in excess of 40 percent for prostate cancer.,Beginning on January 17, 2006, the Veteran is entitled to a rating of 60 percent for prostate cancer.,For the period beginning on January 17, 2006, the Veteran is not entitled to an evaluation in excess of 60 percent.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's prostate cancer is not related to his service-connected prostatitis and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for prostate cancer as a result of exposure to herbicides is being remanded due to the need for further development regarding his in-service flights and potential exposure to Vietnam.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for prostate cancer due to exposure to herbicides, but finds no evidence of such exposure and thus cannot grant service connection.

The appellant did not submit a timely substantive appeal with the November 2005 rating decision denying service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.

The Board found that the reduction of the Veteran's evaluation from 100 percent to 10 percent for residuals, status post carcinoma of the prostate was proper and denied a higher rating. The Veteran's condition is currently rated at 10 percent.

The Board has remanded the appellant's claim for DIC benefits due to incorrect VCAA notice and incomplete service records. The case will be reconsidered after the necessary development is completed.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The RO provided the Veteran with multiple opportunities to submit evidence, but he failed to appear at scheduled VA examinations.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including hypertension, prostate cancer, diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, and a psychiatric disorder were denied. The Board found that new evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating these claims.

The Veteran's prostate cancer is presumed to have been incurred in active military service due to exposure to herbicide agents, specifically Agent Orange, while stationed near the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

The Board found that the Veteran's cause of death was not due to service-connected conditions or radiation exposure during service. The claim for service connection for prostate cancer is also denied.

The Veteran's initial claim for increased ratings for prostate cancer and erectile dysfunction associated with brachytherapy was granted. The prostate cancer rating is set at 10 percent from April 15, 2004, and 40 percent as of July 28, 2005. The erectile dysfunction rating remains noncompensable.

The RO discontinued the 100 percent rating for prostate cancer and assigned a 20 percent rating for residuals of prostate cancer, status post high-dose brachytherapy effective January 1, 2007. A 40 percent rating was assigned from January 8, 2009.

The Veteran's prostate cancer is not recognized as a disease specific to radiation-exposed Veterans, and the evidence does not demonstrate that his current condition is related to his active service.

The Veteran's claim is being remanded for further evaluation of his prostate cancer and its residuals, including a penile deformity resulting from the radical prostatectomy. The effective date remains unknown as no new rating has been assigned.