Thyroid disorder decisions — 2013

The Board has remanded the case due to additional development being required, including obtaining medical records and procuring a VA medical opinion regarding the Veteran's prostate disorder.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for thyroid cancer, to include as secondary to herbicide exposure, is being remanded due to the need for additional development regarding his alleged exposure to Agent Orange during service.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for Addison's disease and thyroid disability, both claimed as due to exposure to ionizing radiation during his military service. The Board has ordered additional development including obtaining information about the Veteran's alleged exposure to ionizing radiation in 1951 and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board has granted service connection for pituitary dysfunction and denied the claim for an initial compensable rating for residuals of pulmonary emboli. The Veteran's current endocrinopathies are related to his in-service head injury.

The Board found that the Veteran did not have service in the Republic of Vietnam and there was no evidence to support a finding that his cancers were caused by Agent Orange exposure. Therefore, the claim for service connection for cause of death due to Agent Orange exposure is denied.

The Veteran's initial ratings for service-connected hypothyroidism, restless leg syndrome of the right lower extremity, and restless leg syndrome of the left lower extremity were denied. The appeal is not about service connection at all.

The Veteran's hyperparathyroidism rating was restored from noncompensable to 60 percent effective August 1, 2011. The claim for PTSD was reopened due to new evidence received since the last denial in October 2007. Service connection for chronic fatigue syndrome and sleep disorder were not established, while service connection for a back disorder was denied.

The Veteran's Graves' disease and hyperthyroidism were not incurred in or aggravated by service, including exposure to herbicides. The Board found no evidence linking the current thyroid disability to service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to verify his service on board the U.S.S. CANUCK and LCU 973, as well as to obtain any available medical records from the period of July 1956 to June 1998.

The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected Hashimoto's hypothyroidism is currently manifested by fatigability and requires constant medication. The competent and credible evidence indicates that his complaints of constipation and mental sluggishness are not due to his hypothyroidism, thus denying a higher rating.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to schedule a hearing before the Board for her initial rating claim of 10 percent or greater for hypothyroidism.

The Veteran's hyperthyroidism has been in remission and asymptomatic throughout the appeal period, with no evidence of thyroid enlargement or other symptoms. The claim for a higher rating is denied.

Diverticulosis and nocturnal hypoxemia have been granted service connection.,Hypothyroidism, urticaria, and GERD have all been granted initial compensable evaluations.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a 100% rating for hypothyroidism and found that there was no clear and unmistakable error in the January 1999 rating decision denying service connection for obesity as secondary to hyperthyroidism.

The Veteran's service-connected hypothyroidism and left paralytic hemidiaphragm with asthma have been granted initial ratings, but the Veteran is seeking higher ratings for these conditions. The scars are rated as compensable.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. The Veteran was granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, but not with a compensable rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's sleep disorder, which is a symptom of her service-connected PTSD, is not service connected. However, the Veteran's Hashimoto's thyroiditis claim is granted as it was reopened based on new evidence.

The Board denied service connection for a lumbar spine disorder and thyroid disorder or Grave's disease, finding no evidence of in-service injury or aggravation.

The Veteran's appeals for the initial disability ratings of uterine fibroids, hypertension, residual scarring from caesarian section, and hypothyroidism have been withdrawn.

The Board finds that the Veteran's thoracic and lumbar spine disorders are related to her active service, with continuity of symptomatology. The Board also finds that her pre-existing hypothyroidism was aggravated by her second period of active service.