Prostate cancer decisions — 2022

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for sleep apnea, unspecified bipolar and related disorder, and prostate cancer due to potential exposure to Agent Orange during military service. The Veteran is also being asked to provide more information about his specific dates of service at Travis AFB and Elmendorf AFB.

The Board has granted service connection for prostate cancer, finding that it is a medically unexplained chronic multi-symptom illness (MUCMI) associated with exposure to burn pits during active duty.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate opinions in his VA examinations and incomplete development of stressor allegations. The claims will be reconsidered after these issues are addressed.

The Board has remanded several issues related to service connection for various disabilities, including a right eye disability, prostate cancer, brain tumor, and neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities. The Veteran's claims are being reviewed due to his assertions regarding exposure to jet fuel (JP-4 and JP-8) during service.

The Board has determined that the case must be remanded due to incomplete radiation exposure evaluation, and thus service connection for prostate cancer cannot be decided at this time.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of prostate cancer and erectile dysfunction as secondary to prostate cancer are being remanded due to insufficient information about his claimed Vietnam service.

The Board has granted service connection for prostate cancer, erectile dysfunction as secondary to prostate cancer, and Parkinson's disease. The Veteran was exposed to herbicide agents during his service at Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base in Thailand due to his military occupational specialty and barracks location.

The Veteran's prostate cancer is presumed to be due to herbicide exposure in service, and the claim for service connection is granted.

The Board has restored the 100% evaluation for service-connected residuals of prostate cancer, effective from September 1, 2015.,The award of special monthly compensation (SMC) under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(s) at the housebound level was also restored.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, prostate cancer, and skin cancer due to exposure to herbicide agents in Germany. The Veteran's lay statements and testimony regarding his claimed exposure will be reviewed, and VA examinations will determine if these conditions are related to service.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for prostate cancer, as well as the issues of entitlement to service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death and burial benefits on that basis. The appeal is being returned to the RO for additional development related to verifying the Veteran's exposure to herbicide agents during his service in or near the Korean DMZ.

The Board denied service connection for prostate cancer as there was no evidence of exposure to herbicides during service and the Veteran's condition did not become manifest within a year after his last exposure.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for prostate cancer service connection was denied as no prior informal or formal claims were received before May 31, 2017.

The Veteran's prostate cancer is granted service connection due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents while serving in the Republic of Korea.

The Veteran's death was caused by metastatic prostate cancer, but the Board found that there is no evidence of Agent Orange exposure during service. Therefore, service connection for the cause of his death cannot be established.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cause of death is not service-connected due to lack of evidence and remands for further development regarding exposure to toxic chemicals during his service in Okinawa.

The Veteran's respiratory disability is not service-connected, and his TDIU claim is granted due to multiple service-connected disabilities preventing him from working.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for colon, stomach, prostate, and bladder cancer for accrued benefits purposes due to issues with obtaining relevant TDY orders.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for prostate cancer was reopened due to new and material evidence. Service connection for benign prostatic hypertrophy is granted. The rating for the left mandibular disorder remains remanded as there may be an increase in severity since the last examination.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and providing a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's glioblastoma is related to his service or if it was caused by bladder cancer or prostate cancer.