Prostate cancer decisions — 2019

The Board denied service connection for various conditions including bilateral knee and ankle disorders, liver failure, prostate cancer, multiple myeloma, respiratory cancer, and soft tissue sarcoma. The Veteran's PTSD was granted a 70% rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service on the U.S.S. Horne within 12 nautical miles of the shores of the Republic of Vietnam during his active duty qualifies him for presumptive exposure to herbicides, which includes prostate cancer.

The Board has remanded the claims for lung cancer, prostate cancer, and type II diabetes mellitus due to herbicide exposure. The U.S.S. Franklin D. Roosevelt was within the 12 nautical mile territorial sea of Vietnam while the Veteran served on the ship from August 1966 to December 1966.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to new and material evidence. The claims for tinnitus, heart disability, hypertension, and prostate cancer are remanded for additional development.

The Veteran's prostate cancer and ischemic heart disease are presumed to be related to herbicide exposure during service. The Veteran's bladder cancer is not linked to any incident of active service.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings on coronary artery disease, type II diabetes mellitus, anxiety disorder, and prostate cancer residuals have been dismissed. The issues of increased rating for anxiety disorder and total disability rating due to individual unemployability are remanded.

The Board has remanded the claim for service connection for prostate cancer due to exposure to herbicides and/or ionizing radiation, as it is unclear whether the Veteran's ship was within 12 nautical miles of Vietnam during his service. The case will be further developed to determine this.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for prostate cancer due to a lack of evidence regarding his exposure to herbicide agents in Vietnam. The USS Coral Sea was deployed to the Republic of Vietnam during some periods, but the deck logs from these deployments are not available.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board has granted his claim for TDIU.

The Veteran's prostate cancer rating was reduced to zero percent effective July 1, 2014. He appealed the reduction and the subsequent ratings assigned.

Service connection is granted for diabetes mellitus, Type II, heart disorder, Parkinson's disease and prostate cancer. Service connection remains denied for the other conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for prostate cancer and diabetes mellitus due to herbicide exposure. The decision is pending further development regarding whether the U.S.S. Duncan was within the 12 nautical mile territorial sea of the Republic of Vietnam.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including coronary artery disease, prostate cancer residuals, and Type II diabetes mellitus, are found to preclude him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment. As a result, the Board has granted entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding herbicide agent exposure in Thailand and an addendum opinion is needed on whether prostate cancer is related to service-connected BPH.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including prostate cancer, PTSD, tinnitus, hearing loss disability, and erectile dysfunction, render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has granted service connection for erectile dysfunction as due to service-connected prostate cancer and found the reduction of the disability rating from 100% to 10% effective May 1, 2015, proper.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's prostate cancer is not related to his active service, including exposure to herbicide agents like Agent Orange. The claim for service connection is denied.

The Veteran's prostate cancer and diabetes mellitus are presumed to be related to exposure to herbicide agents during his service in Thailand, and the Board has granted service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal of the issue of entitlement to service connection for prostate cancer has been dismissed. The issues of entitlement to service connection for bladder cancer and residuals thereof, including removal of the prostate, and diabetes mellitus have been remanded.

The Veteran's prostate cancer, status post pelvic lymphoidectomy and radical retropubic prostatectomy with urinary incontinence, is being remanded for a new examination to determine the current severity of his disability. The VA examiner should also address any symptoms not contemplated by the rating criteria, such as embarrassment and social isolation. Additionally, the TDIU claim is being remanded due to its inextricably intertwined nature with the prostate cancer evaluation.