Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2008

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records from various facilities and attempting to obtain SSA disability records.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and procedural corrections, including providing notice to the veteran regarding new and material evidence for his claim of service connection for residuals of a left ankle injury. The issue of service connection for schizophrenia is also being addressed.

The Board finds that the veteran's substantive appeal was not timely filed and thus, the October 1997 rating decision denying service connection for a psychiatric disorder is final.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claims for residuals of injuries to the back, neck, left shoulder, and head. However, it denied reopening his claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder due to lack of evidence showing a current disability related to service.

The Board is remanding the case to ensure proper notification and assist in determining whether new evidence has been submitted to reopen a claim for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disability.

The veteran's appeal is remanded to the RO for further development and readjudication, including clarification of his representation status and obtaining any additional evidence pertinent to the claim.

The veteran's PTSD is rated at 30 percent disabling since July 3, 2000. However, the VA determined that his service-connected disability alone does not preclude him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the case for further development on her psychiatric issues, including clarification of diagnoses and related circumstances.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including as secondary to a lumbar spine disorder. The veteran's current psychiatric disorders are found to be related to her service-connected low back disability and granted a 40 percent rating for IVDS with bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy.

The Board found that the February 9, 1973 rating decision and subsequent decisions through February 19, 1992 were not clearly and unmistakably erroneous in denying a rating in excess of 70 percent for schizophrenia, undifferentiated type.

The Board is remanding the case to provide a VA psychiatric examination and consider both direct and secondary service connection for an innocently-acquired psychiatric disorder, with consideration of its relationship to the veteran's service-connected left eye disability.

The Board has determined that the veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and Bipolar Disorder, is service-connected. The claim for PTSD was denied due to lack of a current diagnosis in accordance with VA regulations. However, the claim for Bipolar Disorder was granted as it preexisted service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and verifying inservice stressors. The veteran is seeking service connection for PTSD.

The Board has remanded the case due to new evidence submitted by the veteran, including her service medical records and a statement from her treating psychiatric nurse. The claim will be further developed to determine if the veteran's PTSD is related to military sexual trauma.

The Board finds that the veteran's death by drowning is not shown to have been suicide or related in any way to his service-connected schizophrenia, and thus denies service connection for the cause of the veteran's death.

The veteran received unauthorized medical care for psychiatric and addiction services. The claim is denied as the evidence does not meet the criteria for payment under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1725.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and additional development is required.

The Board found that the veteran's psychiatric disorder, claimed as schizophrenia, was not incurred or aggravated during service and is not related to his active duty. The evidence does not support a finding of service connection.

The Board granted the veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection. The veteran was awarded a 60 percent rating for his service-connected lumbar myositis with herniated nucleus pulposus, L4-L5 bilateral radiculopathy from October 16, 1998.

The veteran's claim for service connection for paranoid schizophrenia is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a psychiatric examination.