Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2007

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disability and remanded the case to obtain additional development, including VA examinations. The right leg disorder issue is also being remanded.

The veteran's claim for service connection for headaches and an acquired psychiatric condition, including PTSD and paranoid schizophrenia, was denied as the evidence did not support a finding of in-service injury or disease resulting in current disabilities.

The veteran has withdrawn his appeal regarding the issues of entitlement to service connection for a psychiatric disorder, other than PTSD, entitlement to service connection for insomnia and whether new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen a claim of entitlement to service connection for basal cell carcinoma and actinic keratosis (claimed as sarcoma and chloracne) as secondary to exposure to Agent Orange.

The veteran's claim for nonservice-connected pension benefits is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining workers compensation records and scheduling a VA examination. The AMC will consider whether both percentage requirements and permanency requirements are met, as well as determining if the veteran meets criteria for unemployability.

The Board has determined that the veteran's paranoid schizophrenia does not meet or approximate the criteria for a disability rating in excess of 70 percent, and thus denied his claim.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim of service connection for a psychosis to include paranoid schizophrenia and major depression, as new and material evidence has been presented.

The Board denied service connection for psychiatric disability (claimed as a nervous condition) and granted service connection for bilateral pes planus with an initial noncompensable rating. The veteran appealed the noncompensable rating, but did not appeal the denial of service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a psychiatric disability and proteinuria, as well as his request for an increased evaluation for residuals of a fracture of the left elbow. The evidence submitted did not meet the criteria to reopen any previously denied claims.

The Board found no evidence linking the veteran's schizophrenia to his military service and denied his claim.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the relationship between his current psychiatric and back conditions and his military service. The claims will be returned to the RO for further development.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim of service connection for a psychiatric disorder, and it is granted. The veteran's current acquired psychiatric disability is not service-connected. However, his head injury in service resulted in dementia with behavioral disturbance.

The veteran's claim for service connection of a psychiatric disorder is being remanded due to the need to obtain missing medical records and verify treatment providers.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, disability due to alcohol abuse, and lung disease claimed as a result of asbestos exposure. The Board found no evidence of a current diagnosis of PTSD or any other psychiatric condition that is linked to service. Service connection was not granted because there was no in-service stressor supporting the veteran's claim for PTSD, and the acquired psychiatric disorder was not shown to be related to service. The lung disease claim was also denied as there was no evidence of asbestos exposure.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, a psychiatric disorder (PTSD), and diabetes mellitus type II as they were not incurred or aggravated by his military service. The Board found that there was no nexus between these conditions and his time in Vietnam.

The veteran is seeking service connection for various conditions, including a hernia and psychiatric disorder, as secondary to his service-connected gunshot wound (GSW) injury. The VA is remanding the case for further development.

The Board has determined that a VA examination is necessary to determine the nature and etiology of any current psychiatric disorder, including PTSD. The veteran's claim for service connection remains in remand status.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a VA examination and additional development of records, including treatment from Osawatomie State Hospital.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including cancer of the neck glands, peripheral neuropathy, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), hypertension, and an innocently acquired psychiatric disorder. The decision found that these conditions were not due to disease or injury incurred in service, nor could they be presumed to have been incurred therein.

The veteran's service-connected paranoid schizophrenia prevented him from effectively communicating his symptoms of gastric carcinoma, contributing to his early demise. The Board finds that the veteran's service-connected condition materially contributed to his death and grants dependency and indemnity compensation benefits.

The Board has granted the veteran's claim to reopen his service connection for schizophrenia, finding that new and material evidence supports a current diagnosis of schizophrenia and in-service manifestations. The Board also found an approximate balance of positive and negative medical opinion evidence linking the initial symptoms of schizophrenia to service in 1973.