Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2005

The Board denied service connection for psychiatric disorder (including PTSD), duodenal ulcer disease, renal colic, bronchial asthma, and residuals of wounds of the forehead, back and thighs. The diagnoses were not established during or within one year after service.

The Board denied the claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of schizophrenia, finding that the earliest date of entitlement was June 22, 1994.

The Board has denied service connection for skeletal blastomycosis and acquired psychiatric disorder, finding no evidence of in-service injury or incident related to these conditions. The veteran's claim is based on presumed herbicide exposure but lacks sufficient medical opinion linking the conditions to active duty.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder due to new evidence received since the June 1956 denial. However, the claim remains denied as the medical evidence does not show that the veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder was aggravated in service.

The Board finds that the veteran's service in Vietnam, including his role as an Air Mobile/combat engineer unit grader operator, exposed him to combat stressors. The evidence supports a finding of service origin for his acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD.

The Board denied service connection for psychiatric disability, residuals of cholesterolemia, hearing loss, heart disease, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), corneal embolism, and hernia. The evidence did not show a relationship between these conditions and military service.

The veteran's claim for SMC based on the need for regular aid and attendance or being housebound is remanded. The service connection claim for a low back disability, secondary to his service-connected psychiatric disorder, is also remanded.

The Board has determined that the veteran's paranoid schizophrenia is at least as likely as not incurred during service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, was granted service connection. Sinusitis and a gastrointestinal disorder were denied as not related to military service. The low back disorder and headaches (muscle-contraction) were also denied.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, specifically PTSD, was granted based on the presumption of exposure to combat.

The Board has determined that the reduction in the rating for the veteran's psychiatric disability from 50 to 10 percent was proper. Since October 24, 2002, his condition is rated at 50 percent.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed paranoid schizophrenia is not related to his military service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board found insufficient evidence to support a diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in the veteran's lifetime. The claim for service connection for PTSD and an acquired psychiatric disorder was denied as there is no competent, objective evidence of such conditions during or after his military service.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence of a current psychiatric disability, to include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), related to military service. The veteran's claims for service connection are therefore denied.

The Board denied service connection for chronic low back disorder and chronic psychiatric disorder to include PTSD, as well as increased disability evaluations for the veteran's right and left thigh gunshot wound residuals. The evidence did not support a finding of in-service injury or current disabilities.

The Board granted service connection for seborrheic dermatitis and assigned a noncompensable evaluation. The veteran was also granted earlier effective dates for the awards of service connection for low back strain, right foot plantar fasciitis with ankle pain, seborrheic dermatitis, right shoulder arthritis, left shoulder arthritis, and ischemic heart disease with hypertension.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for heart disease, psychiatric disorder, and seizure disorder. The evidence did not establish a direct link between these conditions and his military service.

The Board determined that new and material evidence had been received to reopen the claim of service connection for a psychiatric disorder, but ultimately concluded that there is no evidence linking any current acquired psychiatric disability to service.

The veteran's claims for service connection were denied as there was no evidence of a current disability or any link to service, including exposure to herbicides. The Board found that the veteran did not meet the criteria for presumptive service connection due to Agent Orange exposure.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, claimed as schizophrenia, finding that there was no evidence linking his current diagnosis of chronic undifferentiated schizophrenia to his military service.

The veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional records and examinations.