Thyroid disorder Board decisions

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for heart and thyroid disabilities due to herbicide exposure, as there is insufficient information to request verification of herbicide agent exposure from the Joint Services Records Research Center.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and service connection were dismissed. The appeal seeking entitlement to a compensable rating for left ear hearing loss is dismissed. The appeal seeking entitlement to service connection for thyroid cancer, sleep apnea, arthritis, and a prostate condition is also dismissed.

The Veteran's hypothyroidism was granted service connection as it manifested within a year of separation from service and is an endocrine disorder.

The Board has remanded the case for further development regarding the Veteran's claimed service connection for thyroid cancer, including verification of in-service exposure to herbicide agents and radiation.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's thyroid condition, finding that it is at least as likely as not related to his in-service exposure to herbicide agents.

The Veteran's hypertension, chronic bronchitis, peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, colonic polyps, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), gout, hypothyroidism, sleep apnea, dermatophytosis of toe nails, and tinea pedis are being remanded for further development as they may be related to his service-connected diabetes mellitus or exposure to herbicides.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and need for further development. The issues include psychiatric disorder, Fuch’s corneal dystrophy with steroid responder (claimed as vision disorder), hypertension, and hypothyroidism.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals for all the listed conditions, and thus the Board dismisses these claims.

The Veteran's papillary cancer of the thyroid is related to service exposure to Agent Orange while in Vietnam, and thus service connection for this condition is granted.

The Board has denied service connection for thyroid disability and hypertension, finding no evidence of a nexus to service or herbicide exposure. The case is remanded for further development regarding the Veteran's hypertension.

The Board has granted service connection and assigned a noncompensable rating for the Veteran's bilateral knee arthralgia and chondromalacia, migraines, right great toe fracture, and denied service connection for hypothyroidism. The decision also remanded issues related to service connection for other conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to obtain or maintain employment that could be considered substantially gainful, and the Board has granted his claim for a TDIU.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for various acquired psychiatric, cardiac, erectile dysfunction, thyroid, sleep apnea, neck, shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee, ankle, and foot disorders was denied. The Board found no current disabilities in the record.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional action, including obtaining updated medical records and scheduling VA examinations. The issues of service connection for various conditions are being addressed.

The Veteran's appeal is being returned to the RO for completion of the development directed by the Board in its last remand. The issues include service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, migraine headaches, and hypothyroidism; rating higher than 20 percent for degenerative arthrosis with degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine prior to May 26, 2017 and to a rating higher than 40 percent thereafter; service connection for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity; an effective date earlier than August 19, 2011, for the grant of service connection for radiculopathy of the left lower extremity; and total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypothyroidism is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination to determine if his thyroid condition had its onset in, or is otherwise caused by, his military service, including environmental exposures during service in Uzbekistan.

The Board has remanded the case due to new research supporting a change in the strength of association between herbicide agent exposure and hypothyroidism, requiring further examination and medical opinion.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim of service connection for hypothyroidism. The Veteran's lay statements and Agent Orange medical literature indicate a possible nexus to service, but there is also conflicting evidence from an earlier endocrinology consultation indicating no relationship to service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his lumbar and lower extremity conditions, necessitate the need for regular aid and attendance of another person. As a result, SMC based on the need for regular aid and attendance is granted.

The Board dismissed the appeal regarding the abdominal aortic aneurysm as it was not perfected by the Veteran's substantive appeal. The larynx cancer claim is still pending and will be decided in a separate Board decision under the modernized appeal stream.