Cancer Cure?

Question:

Hi Jim. I do not understand how a cancer diagnosis anywhere in your body can ever be considered for down grading of a disability claim. Cancer is never consider cured only in remission. Why would the powers to be allow the VA to assume you are cured so they down rate your disability rating? :(

Jim's Reply:

 

I'm not sure who told you that cancer can't be cured? When you see that person next, tell them they're wrong.

Many cancers are cured today with treatments ranging from radiation to surgery. That doesn't mean that a cancer won't recur or that a different disease won't develop but when the immediate threat to life and health has been removed, that's a cure in anyone's book.

That doesn't mean I agree with the way VA rates diseases. Often enough the cure of a given cancer seems as bad or worse than the original disease...prostate cancer is a great example. Curing a disease that usually doesn't have any indication it's even there other than a blood test will often leave a man impotent and unable to control the flow of urine, resigned to a life of wearing adult diapers.

The rating for a barely detectable service connected prostate cancer with no symptoms of illness is 100%. After surgery, chemotherapy and radiation has cured the cancer the veteran is often rated at 20% for the permanent rating since he no longer has cancer.

The rating system has needed an overhaul for over 1/2 century but Congress is too busy to get to it. Maybe some day.