Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2006

The Board has remanded the case for a Travel Board hearing and will not make any determination on the merits of the claims.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for recognition as the surviving spouse of the veteran, finding that she was not eligible due to her divorce from the veteran at the time of his death.

The Board has remanded the case for a personal hearing before a Veterans Law Judge, as requested by the veteran. The issues of reopening service connection claims and entitlement to an increased rating remain unresolved.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and conducting a VA psychiatric examination to determine if any current acquired psychiatric disorders are related to service.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including a psychiatric and general medical examination, as well as review by the veteran's vocational rehabilitation counselor.

The Board has determined that the veteran's schizoaffective disorder is presumed to have been incurred in service due to its manifestation within a year of separation from active duty.

The Board determined that there is no causal link between the veteran's service and his acquired psychiatric disorder, including schizophrenia and major depression. The evidence does not show a diagnosis of an acquired psychiatric disorder during active duty or any period of ADT or IDT. As such, the claim for service connection was denied.

The Board found that the veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder was not incurred in or aggravated by service and denied his claim.

The Board has dismissed the appeal due to a withdrawal request from the appellant's representative.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current psychiatric disability, schizophrenia, is related to a pre-existing condition identified in service and was aggravated by service. As such, the claim for service connection is granted.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, as new and material evidence has been submitted. The claim is granted.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to discrepancies in the record and the need to review the claims file again by a VA examiner.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for a 100 percent disability evaluation for schizophrenia, finding that no claim was received prior to April 21, 1988.

The veteran's claims for service connection for schizophrenia, PTSD, and an increased evaluation for reactive major depression are being remanded due to the need for additional development of his medical records.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current psychiatric disorder is not related to his military service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disability other than PTSD has been reopened. However, the claim for PTSD based on in-service personal assault remains denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an increased rating for his cervical spine disorder and entitlement to a TDIU, finding that he failed to report for scheduled VA medical examinations. The decision is not considered to be the result of clear and unmistakable error.

The Board found no evidence of a psychosis or psychoneurotic disorder present in service, and denied the veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Board found that the veteran's personality disorder and depression did not pre-exist service or were aggravated by service, and thus denied service connection for these conditions. The Board also noted that there was no evidence of a current diagnosis of PTSD due to combat exposure.

The Board has granted the veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea and PTSD, finding that these conditions are related to his military service. The increased rating claim for hypertensive cardiovascular disease and the compensable rating claim for prostatitis remain pending.