Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2006

The Board of Veterans' Appeals has determined that the veteran does not have a valid diagnosis of PTSD, and therefore service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder including PTSD cannot be established.

The Board found that the veteran does not currently have PTSD and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board denied reopening the claims for service connection for schizophrenia and left arm injury residuals due to lack of new and material evidence.,There is no clear and unmistakable evidence that the veteran had a pre-existing mental disorder prior to his military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for further development, including verification of in-service stressors and a VA psychiatric examination.

The veteran's current psychiatric disorder may be aggravated by his service-connected low back disability, but this needs to be determined through a VA examination.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain outstanding medical records, provide adequate notice under the VCAA, and schedule him for a VA examination.

The Board denied service connection for psychiatric disorder and liver and stomach disorders as secondary to the veteran's service-connected concentric hypertrophy of the left ventricle, and also denied an increased rating for this condition.

The veteran's claim for service connection for schizophrenia is being remanded due to the need for additional medical records and a review of his psychiatric history.

The Board has granted a 100 percent evaluation for the appellant's service-connected schizophrenia, effective from May 15, 1990 to the present, due to severe impairment in social and industrial functioning.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, right Achilles tendonitis, and lumbar and cervical spine disorders. The evidence did not establish a link between these conditions and service.

The Board has determined that the veteran is not competent to handle his VA benefits due to ongoing psychotic symptoms and inability to manage personal affairs.

The Board found that the veteran does not have migraine headaches related to his active military service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence linking the obesity and weight gain to the fatal myocardial infarction. The preponderance of the evidence did not support a causal relationship between the veteran's schizophrenia and his death.

The Board found that the veteran's claimed hiatal hernia, hemorrhoids, gastric ulcer, and psychiatric disorder are not related to service or any aspect thereof. The claims were reopened based on new evidence but denied as there is no current diagnosis of these conditions.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including PTSD, asbestos exposure, herbicide exposure (soft tissue sarcoma), tobacco-related disability, and pseudofolliculitis barbae. The appeal is not about service connection at all.

The Board found no evidence to support the veteran's claims of service connection for back disability and psychiatric disorder, concluding that there is insufficient medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions are denied as the evidence does not show that any of these conditions were incurred or aggravated by active service.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disability other than PTSD in January 1980. The RO subsequently denied the reopening of this claim in April 1983, finding that no new and material evidence had been received to support the claim.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for GERD, chronic urethritis, degenerative disc disease at L4-5, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to a lack of persuasive medical nexus evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for proper VCAA notice, and will be reconsidered based on all available evidence.