Prostate cancer decisions — 2013

The Veteran's appeals for service connection were dismissed due to the death of the appellant.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection and special monthly pension due to his failure to provide necessary income verification forms as required by VA regulations.

The Veteran's knee conditions, including traumatic left knee arthritis and right knee arthritis, were not granted increased ratings. The Veteran received a temporary total disability rating for traumatic left knee arthritis from June 9, 2011 to August 1, 2012.,Service connection was established for prostate cancer.

The Veteran does not have prostate cancer that is attributable to active service, including exposure to herbicides in service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment prior to October 5, 2010.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to determine if his prostate disorder is related to service exposure to ionizing radiation. Additionally, the propriety of severing service connection for urticaria and hypothyroidism will be addressed.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's erectile dysfunction is at least as likely as not a result of his service-connected prostate cancer and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board found that the reduction in the Veteran's prostate cancer rating from 100% to 10% was appropriate, effective October 1, 2008. The Veteran is now rated at 20% for his service-connected prostate cancer residuals since this date.

The Veteran claims service connection for diabetes mellitus and prostate cancer, alleging exposure to herbicides during his military service. The Board finds that further development is needed to determine the validity of these claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's prostate cancer is not related to his military service or asbestos exposure, and thus denied the claim for service connection. The issue of secondary service connection for hypertension remains pending.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including scheduling of VA examinations to determine the current nature and etiology of his prostate cancer and the severity of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss.

The Board found that the Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to February 24, 2010, for service connection of prostate cancer was denied as there was no earlier pending claim received by VA.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining private medical records and seeking an opinion on whether atherosclerotic heart disease contributed to the Veteran's death. The claim will be reconsidered based on the new evidence.

The Veteran's prostate cancer was not incurred in or aggravated by his military service, and the Board finds that there is no probative evidence linking it to any incident therein. The presumption of herbicide exposure does not apply due to lack of in-country service.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development to determine if he was exposed to additional radiation that was not recorded on his DD Form 1141. A new dose estimate and advisory opinion will be obtained based on the new information.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining his VA treatment records and providing him with a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed left shoulder disability.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, a bilateral foot disability, and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine were denied as there was no evidence of in-service exposure to herbicides or other causative factors.

The Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 20 percent for service-connected residuals of prostate cancer was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on voiding dysfunction or urinary frequency.

The Board has granted a total disability rating for compensation based on individual unemployability due to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, which include posttraumatic stress disorder, prostate cancer, diabetes mellitus type II, and peripheral neuropathy of multiple extremities.

The Board has decided that additional development is needed due to the Veteran's failure to appear at a scheduled hearing and the possibility of an undelivered letter. The case will be returned for further action.