Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2009

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, was not incurred in or aggravated by his active duty service.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death.

The Veteran's claimed residuals of a fractured nose are not shown to be related to service.,His hearing loss disability is not shown to have originated in service.

The Veteran's psychiatric disability is not deemed to be caused or aggravated by the October 9, 1962 VA examination.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of a left knee and right foot injury, PTSD, an acquired psychiatric disability other than PTSD (major depressive disorder), a right knee disability, and kidney cancer. The denial is based on lack of new and material evidence to reopen the claim for residuals of a left knee and right foot injury, insufficient evidence of in-service stressors for PTSD, no current right knee disability, and no link between kidney cancer and active service or herbicide exposure.

The Board has dismissed the appeal due to the Veteran's death and cannot proceed with the merits of her claims.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and will return it for further action.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining private medical records and scheduling VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed heart disorder and psychiatric disorders.

The Board found that the evidence submitted since the January 1998 rating decision is not material and does not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder. Therefore, the application to reopen the claim was denied.

The Veteran's claims for loss of sense of smell, bilateral shin splints, left knee cartilage deterioration, and acquired psychiatric disorder (depression) have been denied. The claim for asthma has been granted with a 30% evaluation but not higher.

The Board found no evidence of an acquired psychiatric disorder during or within one year after service, and concluded that the Veteran's current condition is not related to her military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's diagnosed schizophrenia and anxiety disorder are not related to his military service, as there is no evidence of any psychiatric condition reported or treated during service or in the years following discharge until 1974, nearly twenty years after he was discharged.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining mental health records and arranging a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's current psychiatric disability is related to his military service.

The Veteran's claim to reopen service connection for a psychiatric disability has been granted. The Board found new and material evidence sufficient to reopen the claim, but did not provide an opinion on whether the current psychiatric disorder is related to service.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for dysthymia and a back disability, finding that new and material evidence has been submitted. The Veteran's psychiatric condition is now considered to be related to her military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a chronic acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, depression, and an anxiety disorder. The claim for residuals of dental trauma was also denied as new and material evidence had not been received to reopen it.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and consideration of his competency status.

The Board has ordered the case back to the RO for further action due to new evidence submitted by the Veteran and a need for additional VA examination.

The case is being remanded for additional development, including requesting deck logs and unit histories to determine if the Veteran experienced a stressor related to an in-service helicopter incident. The claim will be adjudicated again after this development.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, is being remanded due to the need for additional evidence and medical opinions.