Prostate cancer decisions — 2020

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, prostate cancer, and coronary artery disease (a form of ischemic heart disease) due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents during the Veteran's service in Korea.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for prostate cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and erectile dysfunction as secondary to prostate cancer and/or diabetes due to a failure to verify herbicide exposure in Thailand. The Veteran's barracks were near the base perimeter during his time at Nakhon Phanom RTAFB.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for prostate cancer, finding that it was not incurred or aggravated by active duty and could not be presumed to have been incurred due to herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's prostate cancer and coronary artery disease are granted service connection due to herbicide exposure at Fort Gordon.,Service connection for a respiratory disability is denied as the evidence does not indicate it was incurred in active service.

The Veteran's type II diabetes mellitus, bilateral lower extremities diabetic peripheral neuropathy, and residuals of prostate cancer are granted as service connected due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents during service.

The Board denied service connection for prostate cancer, finding that the preponderance of evidence does not show a link between the Veteran's active duty service and his current condition.,The Board also denied service connection for skin cancer, concluding that there is no credible evidence linking the Veteran's current condition to his in-service issues or exposure to herbicide agents.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient compliance with previous remand directives regarding etiology, including herbicide agent exposure and aggravation by prostate cancer. The Veteran's claim for service connection for bladder cancer is now pending.

The Board has granted service connection for kidney disease as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected prostate cancer. The case is also remanded for a new VA examination to assess the severity of the Veteran's residuals of prostate cancer.

The Veteran's bladder condition is being remanded for further evaluation due to its proximity in time and place with his service-connected prostate cancer residuals. A medical opinion will be sought regarding the cause of the Veteran’s bladder cancer.

The Board has denied service connection for a low back disorder and remanded the remaining issues. The case is being returned to the RO for further development.

The Veteran's claim for eligibility for specially adapted housing and financial assistance for automobile or other conveyance and adaptive equipment, or for adaptive equipment only is granted. The claim for a special home adaptation grant is dismissed due to the addition of new VA treatment records since the last SSOC was issued in April 2020.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for prostate cancer, finding that there is no competent and probative evidence linking his current condition to his military service.

The Veteran's prostate cancer is granted as due to herbicide exposure, specifically Agent Orange, during service at the Nakhon Phanom RTAFB.

The Board denied service connection for prostate cancer, coronary artery disease (CAD), neuropathy, and erectile dysfunction (ED) as secondary to prostate cancer. The Veteran's exposure to herbicides is not presumed due to lack of evidence and the absence of a factual foundation.

Service connection is denied for prostate cancer, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus type II. The skin condition claim is remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected prostate cancer residuals are rated at 20 percent, effective December 1, 2019. The reduction of the rating from 100% to 20% is granted and his entitlement to SMC is denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's appeal as his substantive appeal for the denial of his petition to reopen a previously denied claim for service connection for prostate cancer was not timely filed within the required time frame.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to errors in duty to assist. The Veteran is requested to provide information about his mental health providers and VA will obtain their records. Additionally, VA must attempt to corroborate the Veteran's reported stressors during his deployment to Okinawa.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for a heart disability, prostate cancer, diabetes mellitus type II, and erectile dysfunction due to the failure to verify the Veteran's claimed herbicide agent exposure during his period of active duty.

The Board denied service connection for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and prostate cancer, finding that the evidence did not support a finding of in-service injury or disease, including chemical exposure at Fort McClellan.