Prostate cancer Board decisions

The Veteran's claims for chronic depression, nonspecific headache disability (claimed as chronic migraines), fatigue syndrome, and prostate cancer were denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not have objective indications of a qualifying chronic disability due to undiagnosed illness or medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illness during his service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded as the requested Travel Board hearing has not been scheduled. The issues of entitlement to service connection for a back disability, hypertension, headaches, and sinusitis remain on appeal.

The Veteran's prostate cancer residuals are rated at 40 percent from April 1, 2012 to February 18, 2013. The Board granted a TDIU effective from April 1, 2012.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his left hand disability was granted, but the service connection claim for prostate cancer remains unresolved.

The Veteran's current diagnosis of prostate cancer was not related to his service, and there is no evidence of herbicide exposure in Vietnam. The claim for service connection is denied.

The Veteran's prostate and brain cancers were not found to be related to his military service, including herbicide exposure. The Board determined that the long lapse in time between his separation from service and diagnosis of these conditions made it less likely that they are connected to his military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened and are granted. The conditions claimed, including organic mental syndrome, skin disorder (to include skin cancer), and prostate cancer, were not shown to be related to his military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for prostate cancer, status-post prostatectomy, due to herbicide exposure is being remanded for additional development of his service records and possible confirmation of his presence in the Republic of Vietnam.

The Board has determined that the reduction in rating from 100 percent to 10 percent for prostate cancer was proper as of May 1, 2010.

The Veteran's prostate cancer and diabetes mellitus are granted service connection on a presumptive basis due to herbicide exposure during his service at the U-Tapao Royal Thai Air Force Base.

The Board has remanded the case for a videoconference hearing at a local VA office, via videoconference. The Veteran's request for a hearing has not been withdrawn.

The Veteran's cause of death was listed as metastatic prostate cancer, which is unrelated to his military service and not shown to have manifested within a year of separation from service. The Board found no evidence of herbicide exposure during service.

The Veteran's combined rating for service-connected disabilities is currently at 70 percent, which does not meet the requirement of being permanently and totally disabled due to service-connected disability. Therefore, he is not eligible for CHAMPVA benefits.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for all issues listed, including the claims for initial ratings and service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for prostate cancer and ischemic heart disease, secondary to herbicide exposure in Korea, are being remanded due to the need to verify if he was exposed to Agent Orange during his active service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of current disabilities or a link to service.

The Veteran's service-connected prostate cancer residuals are currently rated at 10 percent prior to February 3, 2010; and a rating in excess of 10 percent is not warranted prior to July 8, 2013. From July 8, 2013, the Veteran's service-connected prostate cancer residuals warrant a 20 percent rating.

The Veteran is found unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected PTSD, and the claim for TDIU is granted.

The Veteran's service connection claim for residuals of prostate cancer is granted due to presumed exposure to herbicides during his Vietnam service.

The Board found that the reduction of the rating for prostate cancer from 100 to 20 percent, effective July 1, 2010, was factually warranted based on improvement in the disability and the Veteran's ability to function under ordinary conditions.