The Veteran's claim for service connection for arthritis of the whole body, including left and right hip and knee, is denied as there was no medical evidence linking his current condition to his military service. The Board will not proceed with final adjudication until a VA examination is conducted.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a skin condition is remanded due to the need for a VA examination to determine if his current skin condition is related to his military service, specifically exposure to herbicides like Agent Orange.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for prostate cancer is granted as he has been exposed to herbicide agents during his military service and diagnosed with prostate cancer.
The deciding factor: VA regulations require a VA examination when there is evidence of a current disability, post-service medical records that are not sufficient to make a decision on the claim, or if an issue involves complex medical issues. In this case, the Veteran's arthritis claim requires further evaluation due to the absence of medical treatment records.,The Veteran's skin condition claim requires a VA examination as his testimony suggests a current disability related to military service exposure to herbicides like Agent Orange. The Board cannot make a decision without evidence from an expert in dermatology and exposure to herbicides.,Prostate cancer is listed as a disease associated with exposure to herbicide agents, specifically Agent Orange. As the Veteran has been exposed to these agents during his military service, he meets the criteria for presumptive service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- skin condition, prostate cancer, arthritis
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 20, 2018
- Citation
- 18120255
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 18120255.
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
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, visual impairment, hypertension, and erectile dysfunction due to lack of exposure to herbicide agents during service. The Veteran's claims were not granted.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for prostate cancer, bone cancer, and lymph node cancer has been granted. The prostate cancer is presumed due to herbicide agent exposure during service at RTAFB Takhli. Bone cancer is secondary to the service-connected prostate cancer. Lymph node cancer is also considered secondary to prostate cancer.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, prostate cancer, ischemic heart disease, right lower extremity peripheral artery disease, left lower extremity peripheral artery disease, and hypertension as the evidence did not establish an in-service event or exposure to herbicide agents.
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