Question:
I have prostate cancer. I have a Gleason score of 6. I am a Vietnam veteran. I had C & P exam, but am not sure why. I told the examiner about my erectile dysfunction (ED) and he wanted to know if it was from my enlarged prostate, medicine that I'm taking for enlargement, or prostate cancer. I'm on active surveillance with no treatment as of yet. What do I need to get compensation for ED? It seem all three are related. Thanks.
Jim's Reply:
Did you file a claim for ED? It sounds as if you told the examiner you had ED but you may not have actually written it down in your claim?
If you were denied a rating for ED after you filed for it, you will have to initiate an appeal of that denial. If you haven't yet actually done the paperwork where ED is a part of the claim, that's your next step.
You're correct that all 3 of your conditions are related. The question the examiner asked you wasn't fair though...not really a trick question but I don't think it was a correct way of asking you.
If asked that or a similar question again, your answer should be, "Yes, those are all related but I did not experience any symptoms of ED until after the diagnosis of cancer. I was fine with the BPH and the medicine."
The objective is to prove that one month you were well and happy, the next month...after the cancer diagnosis...not so much.
Timing, as they say, is everything. Good luck sir.