Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2009

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated VA medical records and SSA records. A psychiatric examination will be conducted to determine the nature and etiology of any current psychiatric disability, and a right wrist examination will be conducted to assess the severity of his service-connected condition.

The Board has determined that a VA examination is needed to determine if the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability, including major depressive disorder with dysthymia and posttraumatic stress disorder, is related to service. The claim will be remanded for this purpose.

The Board has denied the reopening of a claim for service connection for schizophrenia, finding that new and material evidence was not submitted to relate the condition to service.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for a psychiatric disorder, to include posttraumatic stress disorder (PSD), and is granting the appeal.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA examinations and attempting to obtain a spousal examination report.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining Social Security Administration records and scheduling a Persian Gulf War protocol examination to determine the nature of his fatigue and psychiatric problems.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his claims, including psychiatric, joint pain, gastrointestinal symptoms, and headaches.

The Veteran's service-connected schizophrenia, which is rated at 70 percent disabling, meets the schedular requirements for a TDIU as it prevents him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's other psychiatric disorders are related to his military service. The claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, other than PTSD, is inextricably intertwined with the claim for an initial rating higher than 30 percent for PTSD.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disability, diagnosed as schizophrenia. The evidence shows that the Veteran had a diagnosis of early paranoid schizophrenia during service and continues to have chronic schizophrenia today. Service connection is granted for this condition. For hepatitis C, there is no medical evidence linking it to active service or any incident therein.

The Veteran's claims for increased rating, service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, and service connection for erectile dysfunction are being remanded to the RO for further development.

The Board denied the Veteran's appeal to reopen his low back claim and continued to deny the psychiatric disorder claim on the merits. The case was remanded for further development.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's chronic hepatitis C is service-connected, but there is no evidence of a chronic acquired psychiatric disorder to include PTSD.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of PTSD and her symptoms are better explained by other conditions such as alcohol dependency and borderline personality disorder. The in-service stressors were not corroborated, and there is no evidence to support the claimed service connection.

The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for service connection as her claimed PTSD was not incurred in or aggravated by active duty, and there is no credible evidence of an in-service stressor.

The Veteran's psychiatric disorders, diagnosed as dysthymia disorder, schizoaffective disorder, and schizophrenia, were found to be incurred in active service.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for PTSD is dismissed. The claim for other mental illness, including schizophrenia as a residual of a head injury, will be remanded to the RO/AMC for further development and consideration.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for residuals of rupture of left scrotum, tinnitus, and psychiatric disorders (including PTSD and MDD), as well as his claim for TDIU. The decision also noted that new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen the claim for residuals of rupture of left scrotum.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including providing specific notice of the basis for the previous denial and what constitutes material evidence.

The Veteran's schizophrenia warrants a 100 percent disability rating throughout the period of the claim, and his TDIU claim is rendered moot due to this determination.