Prostate cancer decisions — 2019

The Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, prostate cancer, and a kidney condition have been reopened due to the submission of new evidence. The claim for diabetes mellitus is granted.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and prostate cancer have also been reopened due to the submission of new evidence. The claim for hypertension is denied.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a kidney condition remains denied as there is no medical evidence showing any kidney condition manifested within one year of discharge from service.

The Board denied service connection for prostate cancer, finding that it was not caused by or aggravated by the Veteran's service-connected anemia and did not manifest during his active duty.

The Board has denied a compensable initial disability rating for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the issue of service connection for prostate cancer.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions have not been found to be related to his active service.,There is no evidence of an acquired psychiatric disorder during or within one year after service.

Service connection for prostate cancer and bladder disability is granted. Service connection for rectal disability secondary to service-connected prostate cancer is remanded.

The Veteran's cause of death was not related to service or any service-connected disability, including exposure to toxic herbicides. The Board denied the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board has granted a total disability rating due to individual unemployability (TDIU) effective August 15, 2012.

The Veteran's claim for a higher initial rating of 40 percent for residuals of prostate cancer is granted. The claim for a compensable initial rating for erectile dysfunction (ED) is denied. The Veteran's claim for SMC at a level higher than that payable under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(k) for loss of use of a creative organ is denied as a matter of law.

The Veteran's prostate cancer was not related to service or exposure to contaminants in the water supply at Camp Lejeune, and thus his claim for service connection is denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, incontinence, and erectile dysfunction due to lack of herbicide exposure evidence. The Veteran will need further examinations and medical opinions regarding his conditions.

The Veteran's prostate cancer residuals have been rated at a 60 percent rating, which is the highest available for voiding dysfunction. The Board found that this was the appropriate rating given the Veteran's symptoms of frequent urinary leakage requiring absorbent materials changed more than 4 times per day.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and updated income information.

The Veteran's prostate cancer is presumed to be related to his in-service exposure to herbicide agents, and service connection for this condition is granted.

The Board has remanded the case due to conflicting opinions and need for further clarification on whether the Veteran's gastric cancer is related to his service exposure to asbestos, dioxins, and arsenic.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for prostate cancer as due to herbicide agent exposure, finding that there was no evidence of Vietnam service and thus not entitled to presumptive service connection.

The Veteran's claims for prostate cancer, metastatic bone cancer to include the pelvis, right scapula, and lateral right rib, and metastatic cancer of the lymph nodes are being remanded due to potential errors in dose estimates from the Department of Defense.

The Board has decided that the claim for service connection for the cause of death is remanded due to new evidence submitted by the appellant, which relates to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim. The Veteran's exposure to radiation at Manzano Base is also a relevant issue.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for prostate cancer and dengue fever, finding that there was no evidence of a relationship between these conditions and his military service or exposure to herbicides.

The Board has denied service connection for ischemic heart disease and chloracne. The issues of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and depression), prostate cancer, and diabetes mellitus are remanded due to the need for further verification of exposure and examination.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for prostate cancer and residuals was granted with an effective date of January 24, 2017. The Board found that the earliest date of claim was January 24, 2017, which is not earlier than this effective date.