Prostate cancer decisions — 2010

The Veteran's prostate cancer is found to be as likely as not a result of his in-service herbicide exposure, and he is granted service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to address the merits of the Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of prostate cancer, including as due to herbicide exposure. The case is REMANDED for further action.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's previously denied claim for service connection for a back disability. The claims for prostate cancer, pulmonary disorder, and skin disorder are remanded to obtain relevant medical records, determine if asbestos exposure is related to these conditions, and schedule VA examinations.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's prostate cancer and diabetes mellitus were not incurred in or aggravated by service, nor may they be presumed to have been incurred therein. The appeal is denied.

The Board found that the Veteran's prostate cancer and erectile dysfunction were not incurred in or aggravated by active duty service, nor may they be presumed to have been so incurred. The Veteran's current conditions are considered to be unrelated to his service-connected removal of the left testicle with epididymectomy.

The Board denied service connection for type 2 diabetes mellitus and prostate cancer, finding no evidence of in-service exposure to herbicide agents or other causative events.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the award of service connection for prostate cancer was denied as he did not meet eligibility criteria under the liberalizing law that added prostate cancer to a list of diseases presumed related to herbicide exposure.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for prostate cancer and depression due to new evidence received since the August 2004 rating decision. However, the Board found that the new evidence does not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claims.

The Board has remanded the case for further examination and analysis due to the Veteran's claims of service connection for bladder, prostate, and abdominal cancer. The appeal is currently in a pending state.

The Veteran is granted service connection for residuals of prostate cancer and tinnitus, both presumed to be related to herbicide exposure in Vietnam.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of prostate cancer, finding that no earlier effective date could be assigned due to lack of evidence showing a claim was filed prior to October 6, 2008.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn prior to the Board making a decision.

The Board finds that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of a bilateral ankle disorder or prostate cancer, and there is no evidence linking these conditions to his military service. The claim for service connection for a bilateral ankle disorder is denied as secondary to service-connected bilateral pes planus is also denied.

The Veteran's prostate cancer residuals are rated at 60 percent disabling, effective the date of this decision.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for prostate cancer and erectile dysfunction, which he claims are due to exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam. The case has been remanded to obtain additional information regarding the transfer flight from the Philippines to the United States.

The Veteran's postoperative residuals of prostate cancer warrant a 100 percent rating from the date of award of service connection until, at least, August 14, 2008.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for prostate cancer, finding that it was not incurred in or aggravated by his military service and did not have a link to Agent Orange exposure.

The Veteran's death was caused by coronary artery disease, which is presumed to be due to exposure to herbicide agents in service. The claim for DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 is moot as the cause of death claim has been granted.

The Board is remanding the case to obtain a medical opinion regarding whether any service-connected disabilities contributed to the Veteran's death, and to ensure that all relevant evidence has been considered in making this determination.

The Veteran's death was due to metastatic prostate cancer, which is service-connected. Therefore, the claim for DIC benefits based on the cause of death is granted.