Thyroid disorder Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's hypothyroidism. The case will be returned for an addendum opinion from a clinician.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hyperparathyroidism and thyroid cancer have been denied as there is no current disability of the claimed conditions separate from his already service-connected condition.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for a medical opinion regarding whether her service-connected major depressive disorder and/or hyperthyroidism aggravated her sleep apnea.

The Veteran's appeal for an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for generalized anxiety disorder with unspecified depressive disorder was denied. The appeal is dismissed as the Veteran submitted his disagreement more than one year after the February 2024 decision.,The Veteran's appeal for an initial compensable rating for hypothyroidism is remanded due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error.

The Veteran's hyperthyroidism with bilateral dry eye syndrome is granted an initial 20 percent rating. A separate 30 percent rating for a thyroidectomy scar is also granted.

The Veteran's right and left knee psoriatic arthritis, as well as her right hand, left hand, thoracolumbar psoriasis, and psoriasis scars of the elbows, hands, and ear are all granted. Her anemia, colon disability (claimed as polyps), breast disability (claimed as fibrocystic disease), and hypothyroidism claims have been denied.

The Veteran's claim for erectile dysfunction was granted effective March 17, 2016.,The Veteran's claim for lumbar spine disability was denied prior to September 28, 2017.,The Veteran's claim for left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy and radiculopathy was denied prior to February 23, 2016.

The Board denied service connection for sleep apnea and thyroid cancer, finding the evidence did not support a link to service or exposure. The Veteran's lay contentions were discounted due to lack of medical training.

The Veteran's claim for service connection and initial rating of hypothyroidism is being remanded due to the need for a comprehensive VA examination.

The Board has denied service connection for various conditions, including a stomach condition, neck disability, lower back disability, bulging discs in the back, uterine fibroids, asthma (claimed as breathing problems), Graves' disease (thyroid disability), hypertension, and tachycardia. The Board found that there is no evidence of these conditions being related to service or toxic exposures.

The Board dismissed the appeals for service connection for chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, a left wrist disability, a right wrist disability, constipation, hypothyroidism, and myofascial pain. The appeal seeking service connection for depressive disorder (including MDD) with anxious distress was granted.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not result in loss of use of the bilateral lower extremities, and therefore he is not entitled to special monthly compensation based on such.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's thyroid condition, finding that it is secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Board has granted earlier effective dates of December 8, 2015 for both TDIU and DEA eligibility. The Veteran is now eligible for these benefits as his service-connected disabilities have prevented him from securing or maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection of various conditions has been dismissed without prejudice due to their death.

The Veteran's appeal to decrease the initial rating for hypothyroidism was denied because it was not filed within one year of the June 12, 2024 decision. The Veteran did not provide good cause for filing late.

The Veteran's appeal for special monthly compensation (SMC) based on housebound status or the need for regular aid and attendance was denied as there is no evidence of significant disabilities that would require such benefits.

The Veteran's claim for presumptive service connection for hypothyroidism is granted, as the condition is associated with herbicide exposure in Vietnam.

The Board has granted service connection for hypothyroidism and vitiligo disease, finding that the Veteran's exposure to environmental pollutants, radioactive compounds, and/or chemical warfare agents during training at Fort McClellan is related to his current conditions.

The Veteran's appeal involves multiple service-connected and non-service-connected conditions, with some issues being remanded for further evaluation. The primary issue is the need to determine if additional evaluations are warranted for various disabilities.