Prostate cancer decisions — 2021

The Board has dismissed the appeals for initial compensable ratings for bilateral hearing loss disability, prostate cancer, erectile dysfunction, and PTSD as the Veteran requested withdrawal of his appeal.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea and a rating in excess of 60 percent for prostate cancer between July 1, 2015 and April 13, 2018 were denied. The TDIU claim was remanded.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to a lack of evidence showing the condition was incurred or aggravated during active duty. The Veteran's assertions regarding in-service noise exposure are not supported by contemporaneous medical records, and his current hearing loss is not considered related to service.,The Board has remanded the issue of service connection for prostate cancer, finding that there may be a nexus between the Veteran's reported exposure to chemical defoliants during active duty and his current condition. The Veteran must undergo a VA examination to determine if his prostate cancer is at least as likely as not related to service.

The Veteran's hypertension is being remanded for a new VA examination to determine its relationship to service, including exposure to herbicides, and whether it is aggravated by his service-connected prostate cancer.

The Veteran's prostate cancer and diabetes mellitus are presumed to be related to his exposure to herbicide agents during service at the Royal Thai Air Force Base in Nakhon Phanom, Thailand. Service connection is granted for these conditions.

The Board has remanded the case due to inconsistencies in a previous medical opinion and the need for further evaluation regarding the cause of the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's TDIU claim for service-connected voiding dysfunction status post radical prostatectomy, prostate cancer residuals is granted. His increased rating claim for prostate cancer residuals rated at 60 percent is denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's appeal for further development and to obtain additional medical opinions regarding his service-connected prostate cancer residuals, including a bladder neck contracture. The issues of entitlement to an evaluation in excess of 60 percent for service-connected residuals of prostate cancer and compensation under 38 U.S.C.§1151 for an additional disability as a result of VA-contracted radiation treatments are remanded.

The Board has remanded the case due to new evidence showing that the prostate cancer is related to bladder cancer, which was already service-connected. The claim will be reconsidered by the originating agency.

The Board denied an extraschedular rating for the Veteran's prostate cancer residuals prior to August 5, 2015 due to insufficient evidence linking his fatigue and low testosterone levels to service-connected prostate cancer.

The Board has remanded cases for further factual development regarding the Veteran's exposure to herbicides while serving aboard the USS ZELIMA, as it is unclear whether he served within 12 nautical miles of the Republic of Vietnam or any similar area identified in the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act.

The Veteran's appeal for an initial rating greater than 20 percent for left shoulder DJD was denied. The Board also remanded the issues of service connection for loss of smell, type II diabetes mellitus (DM), and prostate cancer residuals.,Service connection is being remanded for loss of smell, type II diabetes mellitus (DM), and prostate cancer residuals.

The Veteran's prostate cancer residuals are rated at 40 percent, which adequately reflects the severity of his symptoms. The Board finds no basis to grant a higher rating.

The appeal for service connection of prostate cancer, due to exposure to herbicide agents in Thailand, has been dismissed because the appellant died during the pendency of the appeal.

The Board has granted service connection for prostate cancer as secondary to radiation exposure during active duty.

The Veteran's prostate cancer, post-radical prostatectomy, has been rated at 20% since September 2017. Over the entire appeal period, a rating of 40 percent for voiding dysfunction requiring absorbent materials changed two to four times per day is granted.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for PTSD and prostate cancer were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for PTSD prior to November 25, 2019 or for prostate cancer from January 13, 2011 to June 2, 2014.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for prostate cancer, finding that there was no evidence linking his current diagnosis to his military service or environmental exposures.

The Board found that the reduction of the prostate cancer rating from 100% to 60% was proper, and denied an initial compensable rating for erectile dysfunction.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for prostate cancer, diabetes mellitus, and peripheral neuropathies of the lower extremities due to herbicide exposure. The RO needs to verify if the Veteran was exposed to herbicides in Panama from January 1959 through April 1960.