The Board granted service connection for prostate cancer effective September 29, 1997. The veteran's claim was received on September 29, 1998, more than one year after his separation from service, but the effective date is set at the date of the administrative determination of entitlement, which is prior to the date of the claim.
The deciding factor: The VA added prostate cancer as a disability presumed to be associated with herbicide exposure effective November 7, 1996. The veteran's claim for service connection was received more than one year after this change in law, so the effective date is set at September 29, 1997.
- Claimed conditions
- Prostate cancer, High cholesterol
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 16, 2004
- Citation
- 0409979
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 396 · Granted: 19% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0409979.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's arteriosclerotic heart disease is rated at 100% effective October 25, 2024. His prostate cancer residuals are rated at 60% effective October 25, 2024.
- Granted
The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder and prostate cancer are granted service connection, with the latter requiring a VA examination to address exposure to burn pits.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for hearing loss in the right ear has been denied. The Board found that there is no current diagnosis of right ear hearing loss and thus, cannot establish a link to service. For prostate cancer, the Veteran's claim is remanded as VA did not provide an opinion regarding whether his condition may be related to service due to toxic exposure.
- Denied
The Veteran's prostate cancer residuals prior to January 5, 2026 are rated at 10 percent. From January 5, 2026, the Veteran is granted a 20 percent rating for his prostate cancer residuals. The Veteran's left ear hearing loss is not compensable.
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