Thyroid disorder decisions — 2024

The Board has remanded the claim of service connection for a low back disability due to insufficient evidence in the record. The Veteran's claims for tinnitus and thyroid disability are granted.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for heart condition, hypertension, BPH, thyroid condition, and sleep apnea due to potential toxic exposure risk activity (TERA).

The Board denied payment or reimbursement for medical services provided to the Veteran from June 17, 2019 through June 19, 2019 due to lack of preauthorization and failure to meet emergency care criteria.

The Veteran's fibromyalgia and chronic constipation claims have been denied. The Veteran's hypothyroidism claim has been withdrawn, as has her TDIU claim.,For the period prior to December 19, 2019, the Veteran's fibromyalgia was rated at 10 percent, and for the period beginning December 19, 2019, it was rated at 40 percent. The Veteran's chronic constipation claim has been denied with a rating of 30 percent.

The Veteran's service connection claim for hypothyroidism is granted due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents. The claim for sarcomas cancer is denied as there is no evidence of a current diagnosis.

The Board has remanded the claims for hypothyroidism, abdominal distension with constipation, and bradycardia due to lack of substantial compliance with previous remand directives.

Hypertension and generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder have been granted service connection due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents during active service. Dyslipidemia has not been granted as a disability for which VA benefits may be awarded.,The Veteran's thyroid disability, heart disability (claimed as related to herbicide agent exposure), recurrent cervical spine, shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, ankle, foot disabilities, gout, kidney disability, scrotum cyst, sleep apnea, and vertigo have been remanded for further review. The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 30 percent prior to January 28, 2022, and in excess of 50 percent from January 28, 2022, to June 1, 2022, for migraine including migraine variants has also been remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation consistent with his education and work history, leading to the grant of a TDIU for the entire appeal period.

The Veteran's initial disability rating for hypothyroidism is granted at a 30 percent level, effective January 13, 2018. The symptoms of the Veteran's hypothyroidism more nearly approximated hypothyroidism without myxedema throughout the appeal period.

The Veteran is seeking higher ratings for her thyroid disability and related conditions, which the Board finds warrant further review due to a lack of adequate examination findings prior to October 19, 2020.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for diabetes mellitus was denied. The Board found that the current symptoms did not warrant a higher than 20 percent rating under DC 7913. For TDIU, the Veteran met the criteria as of February 27, 2018, and his combined disability rating is at least 70%. However, the claim was dismissed due to the Veteran's receipt of a 100% combined disability rating from August 7, 2023 onwards.

The Board denied an increase in the rating for Graves' disease, finding that the condition did not manifest as tachycardia, tremors, and increased pulse pressure or blood pressure during the appeal period.

The Veteran's service-connected hypothyroidism is granted with a 30% disability rating, effective June 8, 2020. The Veteran's painful scar is denied an increased rating.

The Veteran's claim for a separate 30 percent rating for residuals of hypothyroidism, including weight gain and fatigue, has been granted. A separate 10 percent rating for cold sensitivity due to hypothyroidism is also granted.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypothyroidism due to Hashimoto's thyroiditis, including as due to herbicide exposure, is being remanded for further review. The AOJ should obtain a medical opinion regarding the etiology of the claimed disability and whether it is related to service or herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's claim of clear and unmistakable error (CUE) in the August 1972 rating decision proposing to reduce his thyroid toxicosis evaluation from 60% to 10% is dismissed because the decision was not final with respect to the issue addressed.

The Board has decided to remand the service connection claims for left shoulder disorder, right shoulder disorder, low back disorder, hearing loss, vertigo, and hypothyroidism due to potential exposure to anti-malarial medications and toxic exposure risk activities (TERA).

The Board has granted service connection for left and right restless leg syndrome, cervical disorder, cervical radiculopathy, hypogonadism, and sleep disorder. The effective date is March 23, 2010. Hypothyroidism was fully granted in a separate decision.

The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's claimed disabilities, including residuals of stroke, ischemic heart disease, peripheral neuropathy of the upper extremities, and hypothyroidism, all of which were deemed not related to herbicide exposure in Korea.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for thyroid cancer is being remanded due to a duty to assist error and the need for verification of in-service exposure to toxic chemicals. The case will be returned for further examination if verified exposures are found.