Citation Nr: 21032542 Decision Date: 05/27/21 Archive Date: 05/27/21 DOCKET NO. 18-25 802 DATE: May 27, 2021 ORDER Entitlement to service connection for hypothyroidism (originally claimed as thyroiditis) is granted. FINDING OF FACT The evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's hypothyroidism is due to a disease or injury in-service. CONCLUSION OF LAW The criteria for service connection for hypothyroidism have been met. 38 U.S.C. §§ 1131, 5107; 38 C.F.R. §§ 3.303. REASONS AND BASES FOR FINDING AND CONCLUSION The Veteran served in the United States Air Force from September 1976 to March 1978. This matter comes before the Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) on appeal from a March 2017 rating decision of a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO). In August 2020, the Veteran testified at a Board videoconference hearing before the undersigned Veterans Law Judge. A transcript of the hearing is included in the claims file. The Board notes that the Veteran filed a claim for entitlement to service connection for thyroiditis due to his military service. It is well settled that when a Veteran makes a claim, they are seeking service connection for symptoms regardless of how those symptoms are diagnosed or labeled. Clemons v. Shinseki, 23 Vet. App. 1, 5 (2009). Here, the Veteran had symptoms associated with thyroiditis, however, his currently diagnosis hypothyroidism has similar symptoms. Accordingly, the Board has recharacterized the Veteran's claim as one for a hypothyroidism due to his military service. 1. Entitlement to service connection for hypothyroidism is granted. For the following reasons, entitlement to service connection for hypothyroidism is granted. Establishing service connection generally requires medical or, in certain circumstances, lay evidence of (1) a current disability; (2) in-service incurrence or aggravation of a disease or injury; and (3) a link between the claimed in-service disease or injury and the present disability. Romanowsky v. Shinseki, 26 Vet. App. 289, 293 (2013). When there is an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence regarding any issue material to the determination of a matter, VA shall give the benefit of the doubt to the claimant. 38 U.S.C. § 5107; see also Gilbert v. Derwinski, 1 Vet. App. 49, 53 (1990). Here, the Board finds that the Veteran has a current diagnosis of hypothyroidism. See December 2016 Non-Government treatment Records. Thus, the first element of service connection is met. Next, review of the Veteran's claims file reveals that he served at Wurtsmith Air Force base (WAFB), Michigan from January 1977 to March 1978. See August 2020 Board Videoconference Hearing; Service Treatment Records dated January 1977 March 1978 at 13, 24, 26, 44, 46, 50, 54. It is known that hazardous levels of trichloroethylene (TCE) were first discovered in the ground water at WAFB in October 1977, however, the exact starting date of contamination in unknown. See July 2018 Re-Evaluation of past Exposures to VOC Contaminates in Drinking Water (Former Wurtsmith Air Force Base Oscoda, Iosco County, Michigan) at 9, 18. Given such, the Board finds that the second prong of service connection is satisfied. The remaining question is whether the Veteran's current hypothyroidism is related to his in-service exposure to TCE while stationed at WAFB. The Board finds that the evidence supports such a conclusion. Specifically, the December 2016 opinion from Dr. T. J. an endocrinologist, who opined that the Veteran had been exposed to TCE while stationed at WAFB and that such exposure may have caused his current disability. See December 2016 Non-Government Treatment Records. Furthermore, Dr. T. J. submitted another opinion in June 2017 in which she opined, after ruling out all other possible causes (to include Hashimoto's disease) that the Veteran's hypothyroidism is more likely than not caused by his exposure to TCE while serving at WAFB. See June 2017 Non-Government Treatment Records. In light of the private medical opinions showing a medical nexus between the Veteran's current diagnosis of hypothyroidism and his past exposure to TCE while stationed at WAFB, the Board finds that the evidence is in at least in equipoise regarding the question of whether the Veteran's current hypothyroidism was incurred in service. (Continued on the next page) For these reasons, and resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran, the Board finds that the criteria for service connection for hypothyroidism has been met. See 38 U.S.C. § 5107 (b); 38 C.F.R. § 3.102; Gilbert, 1 Vet. App. at 49. YVETTE R. WHITE Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans' Appeals Attorney for the Board David B. Scheirich, Associate Counsel The Board's decision in this case is binding only with respect to the instant matter decided. This decision is not precedential and does not establish VA policies or interpretations of general applicability. 38 C.F.R. § 20.1303.