Prostate cancer decisions — 2011

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining private medical records and an opinion regarding the cause of the Veteran's death.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to new evidence submitted by the appellant. However, it is determined that the Veteran's prostate cancer was not incurred or aggravated by active duty service and his exposure to chemicals.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for a statement of the case on his hypertension and hypothyroidism secondary to type II diabetes mellitus, as well as his postoperative residuals of prostate cancer and type II diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's prostate cancer is being remanded for further development of his personnel records to determine if he served in Vietnam and had any exposure to herbicides. The claim will be reconsidered based on the new information.

The Board has determined that the Veteran was not exposed to Agent Orange in service and therefore, his cause of death is not related to service. As a result, service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is denied.

The Board denied the claim for service connection for prostate cancer as secondary to ionizing radiation exposure, finding that there was no evidence of a current disability and noting that the appellant's prostate cancer is not presumed due to or shown to be the result of in-service ionizing radiation exposure.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining a dose estimate of the Veteran's exposure to radiation and an opinion on whether it is at least as likely as not that his prostate cancer was due to occupational exposure to ionizing radiation.

The Board has determined that further development is needed to confirm the Veteran's exposure to chemicals and radiation during his service at Eareckson Air Station in Alaska. Additionally, a VA examination is required for tinnitus and right ear hearing loss.

The Veteran's coronary artery disease, prostate cancer, and diabetes mellitus type II are presumed to be related to his in-service herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's service-connected chronic prostatitis is rated at 60 percent, the highest available rating for urinary leakage or incontinence requiring use of an appliance or wearing absorbent materials more than four times a day.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for venous stasis dermatitis and prostate cancer was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a direct link between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected residuals of prostate cancer, which were previously rated at 100%, are now rated at 40% effective June 1, 2008. The appeal is for a higher rating during the period from June 1, 2008 to July 14, 2009.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a VA examination to determine if his prostate cancer is related to service, specifically exposure to DDT during military service in Okinawa. The case will be returned to the Board after further development.

The Veteran's prostate cancer residuals have been rated at 40 percent since August 13, 2010. This rating reflects the Veteran's daytime voiding interval of less than one hour and his need to awaken to urinate five or more times per night.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including VA examinations to assess the severity of his service-connected conditions and obtain relevant medical records.

The Board has determined that the April 2009 VA examination, which provided the basis for reducing the Veteran's prostate cancer rating from 100% to 10%, was not adequate. The case is REMANDED for a new VA genitourinary examination by an urologist.

The Veteran's prostate cancer, diabetes mellitus Type II, and anemia are presumed to have been incurred as a result of active duty service due to exposure to herbicides.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for prostate cancer has been dismissed due to his death.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for residuals of prostate cancer and erectile dysfunction was denied. The Veteran does not have active prostate cancer, but he has been awarded special monthly compensation due to loss of use of a creative organ (penis). His erectile dysfunction is rated as 0 percent disabling.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for prostate cancer was denied as there is no evidence linking the condition to his military service. The claim of service connection for tinnitus remains pending.