Prostate cancer decisions — 2023

The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for earlier effective dates for the grants of service connection for residuals of prostate cancer, PTSD, and Parkinson's disease. The effective date was set at January 22, 2013.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection of fibromyalgia, Sjogren's disease, prostate cancer, and Hashimoto's thyroid disease is remanded due to conflicting medical opinions. The Board finds a need for additional development including obtaining a medical opinion regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate search for records related to the Veteran's time in Korea, where he was stationed at different air bases from February 1968 to May 1968. The AOJ is instructed to obtain and associate all relevant information regarding herbicide agent use during this period.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is dismissed as moot because he is already receiving a 100% disability rating and Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) effective November 19, 2019.

The Board denied service connection for cause of death and prostate cancer, finding that the Veteran's prostate cancer was not caused by his exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for diabetes, right and left lower extremity neuropathy, and prostate cancer have been dismissed.,Higher ratings were granted for upper extremity neuropathies but the Veteran withdrew his claims for higher ratings of diabetes and lower extremity radiculopathy.

The Board has determined that further development is necessary to verify the Veteran's in-service stressors and obtain medical opinions regarding his psychiatric, prostate cancer residuals, COPD, dementia, and sleep disorder claims. The issues have been remanded for these purposes.

The Board denied service connection for prostate cancer as there was no evidence of in-service exposure to herbicide agents and the Veteran's private and VA treatment records did not provide an opinion linking his current condition to service.

The Board has remanded the claim for service connection for a prostate disorder, including prostate cancer, due to lack of notification for a VA examination. The Veteran is required to be notified again and must report for the scheduled examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's petitions to reopen his service connection claims for diabetes, asthma, and prostate cancer. The appeals were based on a lack of new and material evidence or due to the absence of a causal relationship between the conditions and military service.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss disability is denied.,The Veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than September 13, 2021, for the grant of service connection for PTSD is denied. The appeal as to this issue is remanded.

The Veteran's prostate cancer, hypertension, and ischemic heart disease are being remanded for further examination and medical opinions to determine their relationship to service exposure. The claims will be considered on the merits.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for the grant of TDIU, finding that the Veteran did not meet the schedular requirements for a TDIU prior to December 11, 2015.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for prostate cancer and Parkinson's disease are granted due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents during service.,Service connection for tinnitus is restored as it was improperly severed.

The Veteran's service connection claims for prostate cancer, erectile dysfunction as secondary to prostate cancer, hypertension, arthritis, heart condition, fatigue (including CFS), and a condition of the bilateral upper extremities (peripheral neuropathy) are granted. The conditions are presumed due to exposure to burn pits during service in Egypt.

The Veteran's prostate cancer reduced from a 100% rating to a 40% rating effective October 1, 2018. The appeal for an increased disability rating is denied.

The Veteran's prostate cancer is granted as service connected due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents while stationed at the Thai Air Force base from June 1971 to March 1972.

The Veteran's death was due to esophageal cancer with metastasis, and the Board is remanding for further evidence on whether herbicide exposure made him more susceptible to lung cancer.

The Veteran's service-connected prostate cancer and bone metastasis are rated at 100% based on their current status, but the Board finds that these ratings cannot be considered permanent due to regulatory provisions. Therefore, a permanent and total disability rating is denied.

The Board denied a higher disability rating for prostate cancer, status post prostatectomy with ED, and also denied an earlier effective date than February 2, 2022, for the assignment of a 60 percent disability rating.