Prostate cancer decisions — 2020

The Board has remanded the claim of service connection for prostate cancer due to herbicide exposure (Agent Orange) as there is insufficient evidence to determine if the Veteran served in the inland waters of Vietnam or within 12 nautical miles of the country. Additional development is needed.

The Board has remanded the case due to uncertainty about whether the Veteran was exposed to herbicides in Vietnam, which could affect his claim for service connection for prostate cancer.

The Veteran's claim for special monthly pension based on the need for regular aid and attendance or by reason of being housebound was denied as he is not in need of such assistance due to his disabilities, which do not meet the criteria for SMP.

The Veteran's prostate cancer, status-post radical retropubic prostatectomy, is rated at 60 percent effective February 1, 2015. His erectile dysfunction remains noncompensable.

The Board has remanded the case due to a stay of adjudication caused by the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019, and because the current record is insufficient to determine whether the Veteran served in the Republic of Vietnam or its territorial waters. The RO needs to obtain the Veteran's complete personnel records, deck logs for his ships, and verify his statements about his service.

The Veteran requested to withdraw his claim for a reduction in the evaluation of prostate cancer from 100 percent to 40 percent, and the Board dismissed the appeal as a result.

The Veteran's prostate cancer is being remanded for further investigation into his service in the Republic of Vietnam and potential exposure to herbicides or radiation.

The Veteran's prostate cancer is granted as a result of herbicide exposure during service on the USS Princeton in Vietnam.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current disabilities are related to in-service noise exposure.,Service connection was also granted for coronary artery disease (CAD) and prostate cancer due to herbicide agent exposure.

The Veteran's service-connected obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is granted.,The Veteran's initial rating for PTSD remains at 70 percent, with the appeal being remanded for further review of ischemic heart disease (IHD), prostate cancer, and Type II diabetes mellitus (DM II).,Ischemic heart disease (IHD), prostate cancer, and Type II diabetes mellitus (DM II) are remanded due to potential service connection based on herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's prostate cancer is granted as service connected due to exposure to herbicides while stationed at RTAFB Udorn in Thailand.

The Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation (SMC) based on aid and attendance or housebound status was denied because he did not meet the criteria for SMC as his service-connected disabilities were insufficient to qualify him for this benefit.

The Board denied service connection for prostate cancer and diabetes mellitus type II, both claimed as secondary to herbicide exposure. Service connection was granted for hypertension.

The Veteran's service connection claims for prostate cancer and coronary artery disease are granted due to presumed exposure to herbicides during his service in the Korean DMZ.

The Veteran's prostate cancer is related to herbicide exposure during service, and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's service connection claims for prostate cancer and erectile dysfunction as secondary to prostate cancer are denied. The Board found no evidence of a direct relationship between the conditions and active duty service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient consideration of medical literature and a need for additional evidence regarding herbicide exposure. The Veteran's claim will be reconsidered with new information.

The Veteran's cause of death was not service-connected, and the Appellant is denied nonservice-connected death pension benefits.

The Veteran's request to reopen claims for chronic headaches and arthritis, bilateral hands was denied as the new evidence did not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate these claims.,The Veteran's requests to reopen claims for hepatitis C, bilateral vision issues, sleep apnea, erectile dysfunction, and prostate cancer were also denied due to lack of material evidence addressing the service connection elements of in-service incurrence or nexus.