Thyroid disorder decisions — 2018

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed conditions are not related to service, including exposure to herbicides. The evidence does not support a finding of service connection for any of these conditions.

The Veteran's claims for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss disability and an increase in tinnitus have been denied.,The Board has found that the Veteran does not meet the criteria for a higher rating for his service-connected tinnitus, as he is already receiving the maximum schedular rating of 10 percent.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for hypothyroidism and sleep disorder/idiopathic hypersomnia due to insufficient evidence regarding their onset or relationship to service.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to herbicide exposure, as they have not been verified. The Veteran is required to provide further evidence of his alleged exposure and a VA examination or opinion will be obtained if necessary.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea and whether it is related to service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied service connection for hypothyroidism and diabetes mellitus as there is no current disability of these conditions, and the evidence does not support a finding that they were incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence to support a finding of service connection for thyroid cancer due to herbicide exposure, and thus the claim is denied.

The Board has denied a compensable disability rating for the Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss. The issues of service connection for hypertension, duodenal ulcer, and thyroid condition have been remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Board found that the withholding of compensation payments for autoimmune thyroiditis with euthyroid goiter was proper to recoup severance pay.,The Veteran's entitlement to an effective date prior to June 1, 1995, for termination of withholding of severance and pay reinstatement of a 10 percent disability rating is denied as the withholding had not occurred before this date.

The Veteran's initial compensable rating for scars of the bilateral shoulders and base of the neck was denied, but he was granted TDIU.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for gout is denied as there is no evidence linking the current diagnosis to his military service.,Service connection for malaria is also denied due to a lack of medical records showing any in-service or recent diagnoses.,Hypothyroid disease was previously denied and new material evidence has not been submitted, so the claim remains denied.,The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder claim is reopened based on new evidence supporting its relationship to service-connected diabetes mellitus.,Service connection for hepatitis is denied as there is no current diagnosis of hepatitis in the record.,Periodontitis was previously denied and no new material evidence has been submitted, so the claim remains denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for thyroid cancer and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities, both claimed as due to herbicide exposure in Vietnam. The evidence did not support a nexus between these conditions and the Veteran's service or his presumed exposure to Agent Orange.

The Veteran's service connection claim for hypothyroidism is denied because there is no direct evidence linking the condition to his military service, and the presumption of herbicide exposure does not apply.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected thyroid disability is being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination and records review.

The Board has granted service connection for sleep apnea and tinnitus, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether these conditions were caused by or incurred during active duty.,Service connection was denied for bilateral hearing loss disability, lower back condition, left ankle condition, right ankle condition, bilateral plantar fasciitis, spleen condition, and thyroid condition due to lack of evidence linking the disabilities to service.

The Veteran's service connection claims for thyroid disability, abdominal scar post hernia repair, and PTSD are all remanded. The Board found insufficient evidence to grant service connection for the thyroid disability or increase ratings for the abdominal scar and PTSD.

The Board has denied service connection for thyroid cancer due to ionizing radiation exposure and diabetes mellitus secondary to thyroid cancer. The case is being remanded for further examination and analysis.

The Veteran's hypothyroidism has been rated at 10 percent since January 2014. The Board found that the symptoms of fatigue, sleepiness, and cold intolerance have not met the criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran's hypertension and hypothyroidism were not shown to be related to service, and the effective dates for tinnitus and degenerative disc disease, L4-L5, L5-S1, are denied.,Service connection for tinnitus and degenerative disc disease, L4-L5, L5-S1, is granted with an effective date of September 15, 2014. However, the Veteran's claims for higher ratings and earlier effective dates remain pending.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, as a result of exposure to herbicides. The effective date is July 7, 2016.,Service connection was denied for neck disorder, low back disorder, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, hernia, thyroid disorder, and headaches.