Thyroid disorder decisions — 2017

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for a thyroid disability and granted it, finding that new evidence supports the reopening of the claim and that the Veteran's thyroid disability is related to her active service.

The VA has determined that the Veteran's Hashimoto's thyroiditis does not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher rating than 30 percent.

The Veteran's hypothyroidism is currently rated at 30 percent, and the evidence does not support a higher rating based on additional symptoms such as weight gain, muscular weakness, or mental disturbance.

The Veteran's thyroid cancer claim is being remanded for further development, including a dose estimate from the VA Under Secretary for Health and consideration in accordance with 38 C.F.R. § 3.311(c).

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a thyroid disorder and chronic fatigue are denied as there is no evidence of a nexus to military service or a service-connected disability.

The Board found that the Veteran's hypothyroidism is not related to his service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has granted an initial 10 percent rating for the Veteran's service-connected thyroid nodules, effective from the date of service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hypothyroidism was incurred during active service, and therefore grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient information regarding the Veteran's exposure to radiation during service, and requests an estimate of his in-service radiation dose. The Veteran is seeking service connection for thyroid cancer based on potential exposure to depleted uranium rounds at Camp Roberts.

The Board found that the evidence is against a finding of prostate cancer and/or hypothyroidism during the pendency of the claim, thus denying service connection for both conditions.

The Veteran's hypothyroidism was rated at 10 percent prior to August 21, 2015 and at 30 percent from that date. The Board found the evidence more nearly approximated a 30 percent rating for both periods.

The Board has remanded the case for a hearing on whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for a thyroid disorder. The issue of sleep apnea secondary to Grave's Disease is also inextricably intertwined with this reopening issue.

The Board found that the Veteran's prostate cancer and non-malignant thyroid nodular disease are not related to his active service, including ionizing radiation exposure. The claim was denied as there is no direct evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's thyroid cancer is being remanded for further development, including a VA examination and additional evidence collection. The claim will be adjudicated again based on the new information.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are of such nature and severity as to prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment, with the exception that he met the percentage requirements for a TDIU on March 12, 2009. The Board finds that his claim for an extra-schedular TDIU prior to March 12, 2009 is remanded.

The Board has determined that the effective date for service connection of coronary artery disease should be set at March 2, 1998, as this is the earliest date on which a diagnosis was made.

The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain additional medical opinions and records in order to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claim for service connection for a thyroid condition.

The Board found that the Veteran's thyroid disability did not manifest during service or within one year of separation, and there is no evidence linking it to herbicide exposure. The examiner noted that subclinical hypothyroidism was an incidental finding without associated disability.

The Board has determined that there is no current diagnosis of a thyroid disorder or disease, and thus the claim for service connection for a thyroid disorder or disease is denied. The claims for bilateral hearing loss disability and post-operative residuals of gallbladder disease are remanded for further development.

The Board has granted a disability rating of 60 percent for the Veteran's Hashimoto's disease with hypothyroidism, effective from May 2004.