Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2000

The Board has determined that the veteran was rendered unemployable by his schizophrenia as early as January 1993, and thus an effective date of January 7, 1993 is granted for the award of a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected schizophrenia.

The Board has granted a 100 percent rating for the service-connected psychiatric disorder effective September 20, 1994. The veteran's claim for restoration of a total rating based on individual unemployability from April 1985 to September 1994 is now granted.

The Board denied the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for a psychiatric disability, finding that there was no medical evidence linking his current acquired psychiatric disability to his military service.

The Board has referred the issue of service connection for a psychiatric disorder as secondary to service connected disabilities due to inextricability with the TDIU claim. The RO is required to clarify the etiology of the appellant's psychiatric disability and adjudicate the secondary service connection claim before considering the TDIU claim.

The Board has determined that the veteran is incompetent for VA purposes due to his long-term substance abuse and addictions, including alcohol and cocaine.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim and determined that he has a current neuropsychiatric disorder related to his service, granting service connection for bipolar disorder and anxiety reaction.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD, finding that new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen his previously denied claim of a psychiatric disorder.

The Board found that the veteran's fee-basis outpatient medical care was properly discontinued due to geographical inaccessibility of VA facilities, and there was no evidence of arbitrary or capricious decision-making.

The Board found no evidence to support the veteran's claim for service connection, concluding that her current psychiatric disorders were not incurred or aggravated by military service.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) has determined that the appellant's acquired psychiatric disorder did not originate during his military service and is not related to any exposure to Agent Orange or other environmental factors. The Board found that the current psychiatric conditions are more likely due to alcohol dependence and personality traits, rather than military service.

The Board found no evidence of a psychiatric disorder during service and denied the claim for service connection.

The veteran's claim for a higher rating for his perirectal and inguinal area condition was granted. The effective date is set as December 11, 1995.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for sinusitis and an acquired psychiatric disorder as they were not well-grounded.

The Board found that the veteran did not engage in combat with the enemy and his service medical records do not show any diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder or other psychiatric condition. The claim is denied as there is no evidence to support a finding of service connection for a psychiatric condition, including post-traumatic stress disorder.

The Board dismissed the appeal because no Substantive Appeal was filed within 60 days of the issuance of the Statement of the Case or within the remainder of the one-year period following the date of notification of the determination being appealed.

The Board has determined that the appellant's current psychiatric disability is related to his active duty for training, and thus service connection is granted.

The Board found that the veteran's schizophrenia did not meet the criteria for an increased rating beyond 70 percent, as it did not result in total social and industrial inadaptability.

The Board found that the claim for service connection for schizophrenia was not well grounded, as there is no evidence of a pre-existing condition in service or post-service continuity of symptomatology.

The veteran's preexisting acquired psychiatric disability was not aggravated during his active military service, and therefore he is denied entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability.

The Board found that the veteran's memory loss and psychiatric disability were not incurred in or aggravated by his active military service, nor are they related to a service-connected condition. The claims for service connection were denied.