Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2010

The Board denied the Veteran's application to reopen his claim for service connection due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to incomplete service records and to determine if the appellant had gynecological disability during her active duty for training or inactive duty training.

The Veteran's service-connected schizophrenic reaction with anxiety has been productive of occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity during the entire period on appeal, warranting a disability evaluation of 50 percent.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board found that the Veteran is not competent to manage his VA benefits due to his cognitive impairment and paranoid schizophrenia, which causes him to lack the mental capacity to contract or manage his affairs, including the disbursement of funds without limitation.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining private medical records and scheduling a hearing before RO personnel. The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his acquired psychiatric disorder and residual scar from a laceration of the scrotum are pending.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and adjudication due to non-compliance with prior remand orders, including obtaining service treatment records and addressing the Veteran's claims of PTSD and TBI.

The Veteran's appeal for higher disability evaluations was denied. His tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss were rated at the maximum allowable under VA regulations, while his acquired psychiatric disorder did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that his current psychiatric disorders did not manifest during or as a result of his military service.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, based on new and material evidence.

The Veteran's DDD and DJD of the lumbar spine have been granted an initial rating of 20 percent, effective March 14, 2003.

The Board finds that the Veteran's hypertension was not incurred in or aggravated by his active service and is denied. The claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder will be remanded.

The Board has determined that additional evidence is needed to fully and fairly consider the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for a psychiatric disability, including PTSD. The case will be remanded for further development.

The Veteran's service-connected schizophrenia is currently rated at 70 percent disabling, and the Board found that his condition does not warrant a higher rating based on the evidence of record. The claim for an increased disability rating was denied.

The Veteran seeks service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, which he claims is related to his service-connected urethral strictures. The Board has determined that a VA medical examination should be provided to determine the nature and etiology of any current psychiatric disorder.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD. The evidence submitted since the last final denial supports a finding that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim.

The Board found that the Veteran's post-concussion syndrome with dizziness and headaches, as well as his acquired psychiatric disorder claimed as major depression, were not incurred in or aggravated by service. The evidence did not support a finding of continuity of symptomatology after service or a link between these conditions and service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for short-term memory loss, sinusitis, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (Generalized anxiety disorder) have been denied. However, her claim for allergic rhinitis has been granted.

The Board finds that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, is related to his active military service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's psychiatric disability warrants a staged rating of 50 percent prior to May 4, 2010, and 70 percent from that date.