Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2005

The veteran's claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, is being remanded due to the need to obtain additional medical records from Holzer Medical Center.

The Board has granted a 100 percent evaluation for paranoid schizophrenia from May 9, 1993 to September 30, 1997.

The veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, is being remanded due to conflicting medical evidence. The VA will schedule a psychiatric examination to reconcile the diagnoses and determine if PTSD or other psychiatric conditions are related to military service.

The Board found no evidence of an acquired psychiatric disability during the veteran's active duty service and concluded that any current condition is not related to his military service.

The Board found the veteran incompetent for VA purposes due to his mental capacity issues related to schizophrenia and crack cocaine abuse.

The Board has determined that a remand is warranted regarding the appellant's claim of apportionment of the veteran's Department of Veterans Affairs compensation benefits. The RO must issue a statement of the case addressing this issue.

The veteran's schizophrenia is rated at 100% disabling, and he has been granted a compensable rating for his left corneal scar. The effective date of these ratings is not specified.

The veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. The left knee disability was evaluated as 10 percent disabling, but the veteran sought higher ratings.

The veteran's claim for nonservice-connected pension benefits is denied as he does not have the requisite service. The issue of whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen a claim of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability is addressed in the REMAND portion.

The Board has determined that the May 5, 1986 rating decision reducing the veteran's 70 percent rating for paranoid schizophrenia to 10 percent was clearly and unmistakably erroneous.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current lung disorder, a mild restrictive ventilatory defect, can be considered to have been incurred or aggravated in active service and is granted service connection.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for service connection for schizoaffective disorder and also considered whether prior determinations in January and February 1951 involving a denial of service connection for neuropsychiatric disorders involved clear and unmistakable error. The decision is final as to the earlier determinations, but does not address the current claim for service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an evaluation in excess of 50 percent for his paranoid schizophrenia, finding that the symptoms described did not warrant a higher rating.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current psychiatric disability, diagnosed as organic brain syndrome, did not have its onset during military service or within a year thereafter. Therefore, the claim for service connection is denied.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been submitted to reopen the veteran's claim of service connection for a psychiatric disability. The evidence provided does not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim.

The Board found that the January 1999 rating decision contained clear and unmistakable error in assigning an effective date of February 24, 1994 for the grant of service connection for schizophrenia. The earliest possible effective date is granted as January 1, 1980.

The Board found no evidence of a chronic vaginal disorder or psychiatric disability related to service. The veteran's PTSD was not diagnosed and is denied.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations of hypertension and left knee disorder are denied. The claim for service connection for psychiatric disorder is reopened, but the new evidence does not establish a relationship to service. The claim for service connection for left optic atrophy remains denied as no new and material evidence has been presented.

The Board found that the veteran did not have a psychiatric disorder in service or within one year of separation, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board found that the appellant's acquired psychiatric disability existed prior to his military service and was not aggravated by his active duty for training (ACDUTRA) or inactive duty training (INACDUTRA). Therefore, service connection is denied.