Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2008

The Board has determined that the veteran is not competent to handle disbursement of VA funds due to his schizophrenia.

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

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including scheduling of appropriate medical examinations and nexus opinions to address the veteran's claims for service connection.

The Board has determined that the veteran's son, C.M., can be recognized as a helpless child based on having permanent incapacity for self-support prior to age 18 due to mental or physical defects.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and consideration, including providing VCAA notice regarding the reopening of a previously denied claim for service connection for a psychiatric disability.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and a lung disorder, finding no evidence of in-service injury or disease that is related to his current conditions.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and informing the veteran of what evidence is needed to reopen his claims.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and examination, including obtaining verification of service dates, scheduling VA examinations for respiratory, ear, and psychiatric conditions, and providing proper notice regarding secondary service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's petition to reopen his claim for service connection for schizophrenia, finding that new and material evidence had not been submitted.

The Board has remanded the case for further proceedings due to issues regarding private medical records and a VA examination.

The Board denied the veteran's request for a waiver of an overpayment of benefits due to his failure to promptly notify VA of his divorce and remarriage, resulting in an overpayment. The decision found that the veteran had primary fault in creating the debt but also noted that recovery would not cause undue hardship or defeat the purpose of his VA benefits.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including dementia and as due to a head injury, finding that there was no evidence of such conditions in service or within close proximity thereto.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining mental health records and providing the veteran with a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any psychiatric disability found to be present. The veteran also needs an orthopedic examination to assess her current back disorder.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for specially adapted housing or a special home adaptation grant due to his right knee disability and schizophrenia, as they do not result in loss of use of both lower extremities.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current diagnosis of PTSD and there is no evidence linking any acquired psychiatric disorder to service. Therefore, service connection for both conditions is denied.

The veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II and an acquired psychiatric disorder were denied as there was no evidence of chronicity in service or a showing of continuity of symptoms after discharge. The Board found that the veteran did not serve in Vietnam or Korea during the period when Agent Orange was used, thus presumptive service connection is not warranted.

The veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a 10% disability rating for schizophrenia was denied as the right to benefits had been abandoned after he failed to report for a VA examination in 1979 and did not update his address.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and a heart disorder, diagnosed as hypertensive heart disease. The veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder is found to have manifested within one year of his separation from service, while the heart disorder is secondary to his service-connected hypertension.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient reasoning and development in previous decisions. The appeals are now pending with the RO for further adjudication.

The veteran's case is being remanded for scheduling a Travel Board hearing at the RO. The issues of service connection for a psychiatric disorder, temporary total disability evaluations for hospital treatment and convalescence are still pending.