Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2006

The Board found that the veteran's psychiatric and respiratory conditions are not related to his military service, leading to a denial of both claims.

The Board found that there is no competent evidence to associate PTSD or other acquired psychiatric disorder with the veteran's military service. The scars of the left flank and palm of the right hand were incurred in active service, but the scars on the dorsum and palm of the left and right hands could not be satisfactorily dissociated from the veteran's military service.

The Board has denied all the veteran's claims for service connection as his claimed conditions are not related to his active military service or events therein, and none of them have been shown to be due to an undiagnosed illness.

The Board has determined that the veteran did not submit timely notices of disagreement with the January 2001 rating decision which granted service connection for a psychiatric disorder and the April 1974 rating decision which denied service connection for a nervous condition. As such, the appeal is dismissed.

The Board has determined that the veteran did not have a chronic psychiatric disorder or dental disability during service, and there is no evidence associating these conditions with his active military duty. Therefore, service connection for both conditions cannot be granted.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to inadequate explanation of the VA examiners' opinions and need for a thorough medical examination.

The Board found that the veteran's current psychiatric disability, diagnosed as schizophrenia with paranoid features, anxiety disorder, and depressive disorder, is not related to his active service or any incident therein.

The veteran's skin rash and respiratory problems were not found to be service-connected. The psychiatric disorder (PTSD) was found to be service-connected.

The veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The Board found no current disability related to the claimed conditions and did not find a link between any of the conditions and service.

The veteran seeks an earlier effective date for the award of service connection and compensation (a 70 percent rating) for schizophrenia, paranoid type. The Board finds no legal basis for the assignment of an effective date prior to July 23, 1996, as there was no pending claim prior to that date.

The Board found that the veteran's current diagnosis of schizophrenia was first diagnosed in 1969, many years after his separation from service. The preponderance of evidence does not support a finding of direct service connection or a finding that service connection for a psychosis is warranted under the statutory presumption.

The Board denied the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for schizophrenia, finding that his condition did not meet the criteria for a chronic acquired psychiatric disorder and was not incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for a gastrointestinal disability and finds that it is proximately due to or the result of his service-connected orthopedic disabilities. The claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and a cervical spine disability are also granted as secondary to service-connected knee and low back disabilities.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for PTSD was granted, and the effective date of service connection for PTSD was advanced to January 31, 2003. The veteran also received a 30 percent rating for his chronic paranoid schizophrenia as of January 1, 1974.

The Board found that the appellant does not have PTSD related to his brief period of active service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board previously denied service connection for schizophrenia, finding that the veteran had pre-existing schizophrenia prior to service and did not become aggravated during active duty. The Court has ordered a remand to obtain clarification from Dr. Rao on whether the veteran's pre-existing neuropsychiatric illness became chronically worsened beyond normal progression.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a new VA examination to clarify the nature and likely etiology of the veteran's psychiatric disability.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for coronary artery disease, benign prostatic hypertrophy, a neurological disorder manifested by chronic headaches, and an acquired psychiatric disorder. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions were incurred or aggravated during military service.

The Board found that the veteran's current psychiatric disorder pre-existed service and was not aggravated by service, thus denying his claim for service connection.

The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and disorders of the knees. The veteran's claim for a timely appeal on the issue of initial rating for low back injury with mechanical low back pain is still pending.