Prostate cancer Board decisions

The Board has denied service connection for residuals of bladder cancer due to asbestos exposure.,Service connection is pending for prostate cancer and hepatitis C, both potentially related to in-service asbestos exposure.

The Veteran's prostate cancer residuals have resulted in a 60 percent disability rating from August 2009 to September 2010, based on the predominant residual being voiding dysfunction. The right total knee replacement has been rated at 30 percent since its initial grant.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected prostate cancer residuals and whether his loss of use of a creative organ warrants higher compensation.

The Board found no evidence of the Veteran's exposure to Agent Orange during service, and thus denied his claim for service connection for prostate cancer due to Agent Orange exposure.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to the death of the Veteran, and his widow requested substitution as the appellant. The issue of entitlement to service connection for high cholesterol has been withdrawn by the Veteran.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for prostate cancer residuals, including extra-schedular considerations, was granted. The highest schedular rating available (100%) is awarded.

The Board affirms the reduction in the evaluation of prostate cancer from 100 percent to 40 percent, effective February 1, 2009.

The Veteran's claims for prostate cancer and Type 2 diabetes mellitus were denied as there was no evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board found no evidence of exposure to herbicides, including Agent Orange, during service in Guam. The Veteran's prostate cancer and erectile dysfunction were not shown to be related to his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's prostate cancer, which disqualified him from receiving a heart transplant, was a contributory cause of his death due to idiopathic cardiomyopathy. Therefore, service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is granted.

The Board has ordered that the Veteran's complete treatment records from the San Juan VA Medical Center be obtained, and medical records from the Social Security Administration should also be requested. The Veteran is to undergo a VA psychiatric examination to determine the current nature and etiology of any diagnosed psychiatric disorders.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for an increased rating of 60 percent for prostate cancer, status post radical prostatectomy.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's prostate cancer is related to service exposure to radiation during active duty, and therefore grants service connection for this condition.

The Board found that the Veteran's Obstructive Sleep Apnea is not related to his service, and the preponderance of evidence is against a finding that it was caused or aggravated by his service-connected prostate cancer and/or erectile dysfunction. The rating for his Prostate Cancer remains at 20 percent.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bladder cancer and prostate cancer, both claimed to be due to exposure to Agent Orange, were denied as there is no competent evidence showing the presence of these conditions during or within one year after service. The Board also found that there was no positive association between herbicide exposure and bladder cancer.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for prostate cancer and leukemia. The remaining issues of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, deep vein thrombosis (to include as secondary to a stress fracture to the right distal fibula), and an increased evaluation for a stress fracture of the right distal fibula are remanded.

The Veteran's prostate cancer residuals have been rated at 60 percent since June 27, 2012. The current rating is appropriate given the severity of his voiding dysfunction.

The Veteran's death was not service-connected, and the claim for DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 is denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's appeal because his Substantive Appeal was not timely filed, and thus he did not have a valid appeal as to the issues of prostate cancer service connection and whether new and material evidence had been received to reopen hepatitis C.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have at least as likely as not rendered him unemployable since May 2009, and the Board has determined that the criteria for entitlement to TDIU are met as of October 1, 2010.