Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2010

The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for headaches, a psychiatric disability, and a sleep disorder. The preponderance of evidence is against finding that any of these conditions were incurred or aggravated during active military service.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further medical examinations and opinions to determine the etiology of his claimed conditions, including whether they are related to military service or undiagnosed illnesses.

The Board found no evidence to support the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and a left foot disorder. The Veteran did not engage in combat, and his claimed stressors have not been corroborated. There is no current diagnosis of a left foot or leg disorder.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for chronic lumbar strain with degenerative disc disease at L5-S1 was denied. The Board found that the disability did not meet or approximate criteria for a higher (40 percent) evaluation due to lack of forward flexion limited to 30 degrees or less, favorable ankylosis of the entire thoracolumbar spine, or incapacitating episodes having a total duration of at least four weeks but less than six weeks during the past 12 months. The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD and other acquired psychiatric disorders was not addressed as it should have been.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed lumbar spine, left shoulder, and right hand disabilities are not service-connected. The psychiatric disability is also denied as there is no evidence of a current diagnosis or link to service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that new and material evidence had not been submitted. The decision also noted that the Veteran's diagnoses included anxiety and depression at the time of the last final decision.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and scheduling a VA psychiatric examination to determine if the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder is related to his service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's claimed conditions and exposure history.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder is rated at 70 percent disabling, effective November 30, 2005. The claim for service connection for tinnitus has an effective date of November 30, 2005. A TDIU rating was granted effective March 31, 2000.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral knee disability and psychiatric disabilities (including PTSD and depression) have been denied. The evidence did not establish a nexus between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional information and evidence, including service personnel records and VA examinations for his psychiatric disorder and left foot. The claims will be reconsidered based on the new evidence.

The Board denied service connection for Type II diabetes mellitus and an acquired psychiatric disability, finding that the Veteran did not have in-country Vietnam service or evidence of exposure to herbicides. The claim for PTSD was also denied due to lack of credible supporting evidence for claimed stressors.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development, including an opinion from a VA examiner regarding whether the Veteran's current psychiatric disorder is linked to his cold weather exposure during service.

The Board finds that the Veteran's current psychiatric disorders, other than PTSD, were not incurred in or aggravated by his military service.

The Veteran's right ear hearing loss and psychiatric disorder (claimed as depression) are not service-connected.

The Board denied reopening the claims for service connection for a back disorder, right hip disorder, and psychiatric disorder due to lack of new and material evidence. The Veteran's statements regarding his symptoms were considered redundant.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, which now includes a psychiatric disorder. The Appellant's request for accrued benefits based on claims pending at the time of the Veteran's death is also granted.

The Board has remanded the case to the RO for further action, including consideration of whether new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus type 2 have been denied. The claim for a higher evaluation for residuals of a flash burn injury remains pending.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeal as it found that there was no legal merit to his claim of CUE in a prior final rating decision, and thus denied the issue of entitlement to an earlier effective date for service connection.