Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2007

The Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) has determined that the veteran is not competent to handle disbursement of VA funds due to his mental condition, specifically paranoid schizophrenia.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and readjudication due to issues not fully addressed in the original decision.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, as there is no credible evidence of in-service stressors and the diagnosis is based on unverified events.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including VA examinations and medical records review.

The Board found service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (schizophrenia) was granted, but denied service connection for Parkinson's disease due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board found that the veteran's Meniere's syndrome and psychiatric disorders were not incurred or aggravated by service, nor are they related to his service-connected hearing loss and tinnitus.

The veteran's daughter was not rendered permanently incapable of self-support prior to her 18th birthday, and therefore does not meet the criteria for VA benefits.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine if the veteran's schizophrenia, including paranoid type, is related to his active service. The case is being remanded for this purpose.

The Board found that the evidence does not support a finding of service connection for a psychiatric disability. The veteran's skin and hearing loss were also denied as there was no medical opinion linking these conditions to his military service.

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

The Board found that the veteran's preexisting schizophrenia disorder did not increase in severity during service and therefore denied entitlement to service connection for a psychiatric disorder.

The veteran's claim for service connection for a nervous disorder, now claimed as paranoid schizophrenia, is being remanded due to the need for new and material evidence. The RO will also obtain SSA disability determinations for the veteran.

The Board denied the veteran's claim of service connection for a psychiatric disorder, finding that new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen his previous claim.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder due to new evidence. The claims of entitlement to service connection for right knee and right ankle pain have been denied as there is no evidence that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by military service.

The Board has determined that the evidence received since the April 2000 denial is not new and material, and thus the claim for service connection for schizophrenia remains denied.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any current neuropsychiatric disorder and essential tremors. The veteran's service records indicate he was treated for anxiety and tension during his military service, but no evidence supports a finding that these conditions were aggravated by service.

The Board is remanding the case to the RO for further development and consideration of whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen a claim for service connection for schizophrenia.

The veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. The Board found no evidence of a current right knee disorder, and the left knee disability did not meet criteria for higher evaluations prior to or from November 2004. Headaches, lumbar spine disorder, cervical spine disorder, and peripheral neuropathy of the left hand were also evaluated without meeting criteria for increased ratings.

The veteran's claim for special monthly pension by reason of regular aid and attendance or being housebound was denied as he does not meet the criteria for either benefit.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to scheduling issues and the need for VCAA notice regarding service connection for PTSD and hearing loss.