Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2009

The Veteran is seeking service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder. The RO has requested additional records and will conduct a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any current psychiatric condition, including its relationship to military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, other than PTSD, was not incurred in or aggravated by service and is not attributable to any event or injury during service. The claim for service connection is denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been previously denied and are still pending.

The Board has determined that the criteria for TDIU were met more than one year prior to the date of claim (June 14, 2005), but as the effective date must be the date of claim or a factually ascertainable increase in disability occurred within one year before the date of claim, an earlier effective date is denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and TDIU benefits are being remanded due to inadequate VA examination opinions regarding the nature and etiology of his claimed conditions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and a skin rash have been denied as there is no evidence of in-service stressors or current disabilities related to service.

The Veteran's service connection claims for right and left knee disabilities, as well as his psychiatric disability (PTSD), were denied. The claim for increased ratings for low back disability was also denied.,For the period prior to July 26, 2005, the Veteran's service-connected low back disability was rated at 10 percent. From that date onwards, it was rated at 20 percent.

The Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disability is currently rated at 50 percent, and his cervical spine disability is rated at 20 percent. The Board found that the evidence does not support a higher rating for either condition.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for neuropsychiatric disability was denied in December 1968, and the November 1993 rating decision granting PTSD with an effective date of June 15, 1993 is final. The Board found no CUE in the 1968 decision and determined that the criteria for earlier effective dates for PTSD were not met.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to incomplete records and a need for a VA examination.

The Board denied an effective date earlier than August 6, 1996 for the grant of service connection for paranoid schizophrenia. The Veteran's original claim was denied in November 1977 and he did not appeal it. He attempted to reopen his claim multiple times over the years but the RO declined each time until August 1996 when a reopened claim was received. The effective date for service connection was changed from April 8, 1997 to August 6, 1996.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and an examination to determine if the Veteran currently has an acquired psychiatric disorder, other than PTSD, and whether it is related to his service from June 1967 to March 1971.

The Veteran's service-connected status post operative hemithyroidectomy and isthmectomy is not manifested by any residual symptoms, and the evidence does not show fatigability or that it requires continuous medication for control. The Veteran's insomnia was not caused or aggravated by service-connected status post operative hemithroidectomy and isthmectomy. A psychiatric disability other than PTSD was not incurred in active service; it was not caused or aggravated by service-connected status post operative hemithroidectomy and isthmectomy.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's psychiatric disability was not present during active service or for many years thereafter, and it is not etiologically related to active service. Therefore, service connection for a psychiatric disability is denied.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been received to reopen the claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, hypertension, psychiatric disability (anxiety and nervousness), skin disability, respiratory disability, neurological disability, bilateral femoral epicondylitis, insomnia, and gastritis.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for chronic neck, back, and left foot disorders have been granted. His claim for increased disability evaluation for his left wrist carpal tunnel syndrome has also been granted with a current rating of 20%. The Veteran's claim for compensable disability evaluation for bilateral gynecomastia is pending.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and mental handicap. The Board finds that VA has not completed its duty to assist in obtaining the Veteran's STRs from his reserve service period.

The Board has reopened the appellant's claims of service connection for schizophrenia and PTSD, finding that new evidence received since the last final denial raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating the underlying claim.

The Veteran's son was found to be permanently incapable of self-support prior to reaching 18 years of age, and the Board granted benefits based on this finding.

The Board found no evidence linking gastroesophageal reflux to service and denied the claim. The case was also remanded for a VA psychiatric examination to determine if any current psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, is related to in-service stressors.