Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2010

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining VA and private medical records, as well as a mental health examination to determine if the Veteran's current psychiatric disability began during service or is related to any incident of service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of her claims, including obtaining relevant medical records and providing a VA examination to assess the severity of her service-connected right shoulder and knee disabilities. The case will also be referred to determine if she qualifies for a TDIU on an extra-schedular basis.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability was aggravated by his active military service and therefore grants entitlement to service connection.

The Veteran is seeking to reopen his previously denied claim of service connection for chronic schizophrenia. The Board found that the submitted evidence does not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection due to new and material evidence, but finds that there is insufficient credible supporting evidence to substantiate the Veteran's claimed in-service stressor of sexual assault. As a result, the acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, was not incurred or aggravated by active military service.

The Board has determined that the March 17, 1975 decision reducing the Veteran's schizophrenia disability rating from 100% to 70% contained clear and unmistakable error (CUE). The rating of 100% is restored.

The Board denied service connection for psychiatric disability, cervical spine disability, and right knee disability. The Veteran's claims were not decided on the merits of these conditions.

The Veteran's asthma is service-connected, but his other claimed conditions are not. Further examination and development of the record are needed to determine if any of these conditions are related to military service.

The Board found that the Veteran's death was not caused by, or substantially or materially contributed to by, a disability incurred in or aggravated by his active duty service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and depression, was denied. The VA compensation examiner determined that the Veteran does not have PTSD based on his symptoms and history.

The Veteran's schizophrenia has not resulted in significant occupational and social impairment warranting a higher rating. The termination of his SMP benefit was found to be improper.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of PTSD and there is no evidence to support service connection for psychiatric disability, including PTSD. The Veteran's right thigh scar was granted service connection but with a noncompensable rating.

The Veteran's claims for higher initial evaluations for bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy have been dismissed due to the failure to file a timely substantive appeal.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, right hip and left shoulder disability, right knee disability, acquired psychiatric disorder, and respiratory disability (claimed as lung disease due to asbestos exposure) have been dismissed due to the failure to file a timely substantive appeal.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and a positive tuberculin skin test, finding that a positive tuberculin skin test is not considered to be a disability for which compensation benefits can be paid under VA laws and regulations.

The Board granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for paranoid schizophrenia, effective from August 30, 1991.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to inadequate reasons and bases in the July 2009 decision, including failure to address the lay statements supporting an etiological relationship between the Veteran's claimed psychiatric disorder and his period of service.

The Veteran's psychiatric disability, diagnosed as bipolar disorder in 2003, was not incurred or aggravated by active service and is not related to a service-connected condition. The back disability was also not found to be related to service.

The Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of any psychiatric disorder, including PTSD.,There is no evidence linking the Veteran's bladder cancer to service.

The Board found that the Veteran's current psychiatric disorder was not incurred in or related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a VA examination to determine the etiology of the appellant's psychiatric disorder and whether it is related to service. The claim will be reconsidered after this additional development.