Prostate cancer decisions — 2019

The Board denied the Veteran's requests for earlier effective dates for service connection and compensation related to prostate cancer, erectile dysfunction, SMC based on loss of use of a creative organ, and SMC at the housebound rate. The effective date was set as November 29, 2012.

The Board is unable to determine if the Veteran served in the Republic of Vietnam, which would allow for presumptive service connection for prostate cancer due to Agent Orange exposure. The case is being remanded to gather this information.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hepatitis C, lumbar spine condition, right knee condition, prostate cancer, and residuals of bladder cancer due to asbestos exposure. The issues are being returned to the AOJ for further review with consideration of new evidence.

The Veteran's appeal is REMANDED for additional development regarding his claims of service connection for various conditions, including bilateral foot disability, bilateral eye condition, heart disease due to exposure to herbicides, prostate cancer due to exposure to herbicides, and diabetes mellitus II due to exposure to herbicides. The AOJ must obtain the Veteran's military personnel records from his service with the Air Force in 1960s and his duty with the Air Force Reserve in 1970s, verify his asserted in-service exposure as an aircraft maintenance personnel to herbicide agents, schedule him for a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any bilateral foot disability, and obtain an addendum opinion from an appropriate clinician concerning whether his in-service complaint of blurred vision is related to his cataracts.

The Board has remanded the case for further investigation regarding the Veteran's claimed in-service herbicide exposure, as there is insufficient information provided.

The Veteran's appeal for prostate cancer has been dismissed.,The claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, cervical spine disability, and right shoulder disability have been reopened due to the submission of new evidence.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a stomach disorder has been reopened and granted. Tinnitus is found to have had its onset in service. The reduction of the rating for prostate cancer residuals from 100% to 10% was improper, and the 60% rating for coronary artery disease is restored.

The Veteran's prostate cancer and erectile dysfunction are being remanded for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records and a VA medical opinion regarding the Veteran's treatment status as under watchful waiting.

The Veteran's erectile dysfunction, which is related to his service-connected prostate cancer, was not manifested by a penile deformity. Therefore, the claim for a compensable rating for erectile dysfunction is denied.

The Board has denied service connection for COPD and prostate cancer, finding no evidence of a link to military service. The case is remanded for further development regarding the Veteran's exposure to toxic herbicides.

Your claim for service connection for prostate cancer, linked to Agent Orange exposure, has been denied because the Veteran died before a decision could be made.

The Board has remanded three claims: prostate cancer, bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, and bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy. The Veteran's service includes exposure to various chemicals during his in-service occupation of field artillery. The claims are related as they all involve secondary service connection for the claimed conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for prostate cancer is granted due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents in the Republic of Vietnam. Service connection is also granted for acute myelogenous leukemia, but the decision on this issue is remanded.

The Veteran's prostate cancer was granted service connection due to Agent Orange exposure, but the claim for an increased rating was denied. The Appellant did not have a valid pending claim at the time of the Veteran's death and thus cannot receive accrued benefits.

The Board has remanded the cases due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the cause of death and service connection. The appellant contends that herbicide exposure contributed to her husband's death, but no medical opinion addressing these claims was obtained.

The Veteran's service connection claims for coronary artery disease and prostate cancer have been denied as there is no evidence of in-service exposure to herbicide agents, and the diseases are not shown to be related to his military service.

The Veteran's major depressive disorder is granted a 70 percent rating, prostate cancer residuals are denied any increase in rating beyond the current 20 percent, and he is awarded a TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities.

This decision dismisses all claims for service connection. The Veteran's bowel disorder, prostate cancer, and diabetes mellitus, type II have been granted in full by a March 2018 rating decision.,The claim for an increased rating for lumbosacral strain with anterolisthesis and degenerative disc disease is denied as the evidence does not show that the Veteran's disability warrants a higher than 30 percent rating at any point during the relevant period.,The claim for a 20 percent rating for peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity is granted from September 24, 2012 to July 18, 2015.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for prostate cancer, finding that there was no evidence of herbicide exposure during his active duty in Thailand and thus could not grant presumptive service connection. The Board also found insufficient evidence to establish direct service connection.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims of service connection for residuals of prostate cancer, lower back disability, and left knee disability. These claims are being remanded to allow for further examination and opinion.