The Board has granted an effective date of August 26, 2002 for the grant of service connection for prostate cancer associated with herbicide exposure. The Veteran was diagnosed with prostate cancer in February 2000 and had previously filed a claim on that date. The deck logs from his ship indicated he likely left Vietnam during emergency leave in March 1972, which established his exposure to herbicides.
The deciding factor: The effective date is based on the earliest date at law for which benefits may be granted due to the Veteran's diagnosis and prior claim, whichever is later. The deck logs were received after the initial denial but before the grant of service connection, allowing for a retroactive evaluation.
- Claimed conditions
- Prostate Cancer
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- Gulf War
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 9, 2014
- Citation
- 1454134
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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 1454134.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
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The Veteran's urinary sphincter dysfunction is restored to a 40 percent rating effective February 1, 2025. A higher rating for the condition beginning July 12, 2023, is denied.
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