Prostate cancer Board decisions

The VA has granted service connection for postoperative prostate cancer but assigned a noncompensable evaluation. The veteran is seeking an initial compensable evaluation.

The veteran died of prostate cancer with metastasis to the bone and liver. The service-connected conditions (CAD, HTN, CHF) were not shown to be related to his military service.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for an effective date earlier than November 7, 1996, for the grant of service connection for status post total prostatectomy for carcinoma of the prostate with residual impotence due to herbicide exposure. The issues of entitlement to service connection for left breast cancer and right rib metastasis were also addressed.

The veteran's claim for service connection for prostate cancer, including as due to exposure to ionizing radiation in service, was granted after the regulation was amended to include prostate cancer under 38 C.F.R. § 3.311.

The veteran's claim for special monthly pension based on the need for aid and attendance of another person or housebound status was denied as he does not meet the criteria for either benefit.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine warrants a 60% disability evaluation, effective from March 17, 1995. The noncompensable disability evaluation for residuals of prostate cancer is denied.

The veteran's prostate cancer disability was initially rated as noncompensable, but later increased to 100 percent and then decreased back to 20 percent. The impotency issue remains unresolved.

The veteran's appeal is about the propriety of the initial noncompensable rating for his service-connected prostate cancer, status post radiation therapy. The Board has ordered a new examination to assess the current severity of the condition.

The veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including prostate cancer and posterior subcapsular cataracts, liver disorder, lung disorder, rib disorder, alopecia, and arthritis of multiple joints are not well grounded as there is no evidence showing these conditions were related to his military service or exposure to ionizing radiation.

The Board is remanding the veteran's claims for service connection for prostate cancer and skin cancer as secondary to exposure to ionizing radiation due to a lack of clarity in the dose estimate data provided by the Defense Nuclear Agency (DTRA). The Court instructed the Board to seek clarification from DTRA regarding the range of doses pertinent to the veteran's unit.

The veteran's death was caused by lung cancer, which is presumed to be related to his service-connected prostate cancer. The appellant is eligible for Dependents' Educational Assistance.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for an effective date prior to July 1, 1996 for the grant of entitlement to DIC due to prostate cancer secondary to Agent Orange exposure. The preponderance of evidence did not support a request for an earlier effective date.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for prostate cancer and residuals of bilateral orchiectomy due to exposure to ionizing radiation, finding no reasonable possibility that these conditions were caused by such exposure.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for service connection for the cause of death secondary to exposure to ionizing radiation, finding that there was no reasonable possibility that the veteran's disability was caused by his exposure to radiation in service.

The Board has determined that the appellant's claim for service connection for prostate cancer as a result of exposure to ionizing radiation is well grounded and VA must assist in its development. The appellant was exposed to ionizing radiation during Operation UPSHOT-KNOTHOLE, entered within 500-700 yards of ground zero following Shot GRABLE, and has provided medical evidence of treatment for prostate cancer many years after service.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, entitlement to DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318, and entitlement to Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance under 38 U.S.C.A. Chapter 35.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected prostate cancer residuals is being remanded due to the need for a current VA examination.

The veteran's claims for payment or reimbursement of unauthorized private medical services provided from September 1996 to August 1998 are denied as he did not meet the criteria for reimbursement under VA regulations.

The veteran's claim for an annual clothing allowance is denied as his need to use diapers does not meet the legal requirements for such a benefit.

The veteran's prostate cancer in postoperative status is rated at 20 percent, the maximum schedular rating available.