Prostate cancer decisions — 2018

The Veteran's prostate cancer and diabetes mellitus type II are presumed to have been caused by herbicide exposure during service, leading to their grant of service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's prostate cancer is presumptively service-connected due to exposure to Agent Orange during his service aboard the USS Ingersoll in Vietnam.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for prostate cancer and coronary artery disease, both of which are related to exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. The decision is based on a lack of evidence linking these conditions to service or to the contaminated water exposure.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's claims for service connection for a heart condition and prostate cancer. The issues of entitlement to an increased rating for left eye pterygium are also being remanded.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings and service connection was decided in part. The effective date of the 40% rating for prostate cancer residuals is set to August 4, 2011. The initial rating for arteriosclerotic heart disease prior to February 28, 2014 remains at 30%. Other issues are either denied or require further review.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for Parkinson's disease and prostate cancer, finding no new and material evidence to reopen them. The claims were based on secondary service connection due to pre-existing conditions.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient development of the Appellant's contentions regarding her husband's mental health conditions and alleged herbicide exposure. The VA must obtain a formal finding from the JSRRC regarding the Veteran’s alleged herbicide exposure, and develop the Appellant's claims for service connection for various disabilities.

The Board has remanded multiple issues for further development and clarification, including service connection claims for irritable bowel syndrome, bilateral hearing loss disability, degenerative arthritis of the knees, and hypertensive renal disease. The Veteran's claims are pending due to incomplete VA records and lack of a Statement of the Case.

The Board has determined that the Veteran was exposed to herbicide agents during his service on the USS Constant (MSO-427) and therefore grants service connection for prostate cancer based on this exposure.

All issues are remanded for further development and consideration.

The Veteran's PTSD is not manifested by total occupational and social impairment.,The reduction in the evaluation from 100 percent disabling to 60 percent disabling for prostate cancer residuals was found to be proper.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for prostate and skin cancers were denied as the evidence did not support a link between these conditions and his military service, including exposure to chemicals.

The Board has remanded the claims for diabetes mellitus and prostate cancer due to exposure to an herbicidal agent, as new evidence was added since the last SSOC.

The Veteran's hypertension and GERD are not service connected as secondary to his PTSD.,Service connection for prostate cancer is denied, with an effective date of July 2, 2010.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are not service-connected as they did not manifest to a compensable degree within the applicable presumptive period, or for a condition noted in service, continuity of symptomatology is not established.,Service connection for prostate cancer and diabetes mellitus cannot be granted as there is no evidence of their onset during service or related to herbicide exposure. The Veteran's skin disorder is not service-connected due to lack of evidence of its onset during service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination to address his reported symptoms and medical history, with particular focus on the in-service exposure at Camp Lejeune.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss is denied.,The Veteran's claim for a disability rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus is denied. The maximum schedular rating available for recurrent tinnitus has been assigned.,The effective date for the grant of service connection for tinnitus as secondary to bilateral hearing loss is denied, and it remains at June 28, 2012.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for prostate cancer, finding no evidence of herbicide exposure during service and noting that there was no showing of prostate cancer in service or within one year after service.

The Veteran's prostate cancer rating was reduced from 100% to 20%, effective August 1, 2013. The reduction is proper as the evidence does not show local reoccurrence or metastasis of the Veteran’s prostate cancer and his symptoms are most closely characterized as urinary frequency with daytime voiding interval between one and two hours; or, awakening to void three to four times per night.

The Veteran's service connection claims for kidney and prostate cancers are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination.