Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2011

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including broken teeth, migraine headaches, head injury, dislocated shoulder, hip arthritis, knee arthritis, nose and jaw injuries, diabetes mellitus, thyroid issues, lung problems, throat issues, breathing problems, allergies, gum bleeding, loss of smell/taste, sleep apnea, swallowing problems (dysphagia), blepharitis, ulcers, chronic fatigue syndrome, psychiatric disorders, fear of heights, memory problems, and insomnia are not supported by the evidence.

The Board has determined that the appellant does not have qualifying service for his period of National Guard duty following Hurricane George in October 1998. As a result, he cannot be granted service connection for any disabilities related to this period.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and consideration, including obtaining additional medical opinions to address the Veteran's claims for service connection for acquired psychiatric disability (including PTSD).

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disability, but further development is needed to determine if there is a relationship between her current psychiatric condition and her service.

The Veteran was granted a 100% disability rating for paranoid schizophrenia effective August 17, 2005, based on her informal claim of increased severity.

The Board found no evidence of a head injury or psychiatric disability during service and denied the Veteran's claims for service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected hearing loss disability, tinnitus, and acquired psychiatric disorder rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to August 23, 2010. As of that date, his combined disability rating was 100 percent due to the bilateral hearing loss, making TDIU moot.

The Veteran's service connection claims for an acquired psychiatric disability and chronic fatigue syndrome were denied. The Board found no evidence of a current diagnosis or continuity of symptomatology during service, and the VA examiners did not support a nexus to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, not otherwise specified, is related to active service and grants service connection for this condition. The issues of entitlement to service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus are remanded for further development.

The Veteran's psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, was not incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to insufficient compliance with previous instructions, including a review by a board of psychiatrists.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for high cholesterol has been denied as it is not a compensable disability.,Service connection has been reopened for bilateral athlete's foot, but the issue remains pending and will be addressed in the remand portion of this decision.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and a VA examination to address the nature and etiology of his acquired psychiatric disorders and basal cell carcinoma.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and for further development.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to allow for additional development of his claims, including VA examinations and the obtaining of outstanding treatment records.

The Veteran's claim for PTSD was denied as there is no evidence of a diagnosed condition that conforms to DSM-IV criteria. The Board also finds the Veteran has not provided sufficient evidence to establish service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD or a lumbar spine disability.

The Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disorder and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma do not meet the criteria for a TDIU, as his combined disability rating is less than 70% and he does not have one disability rated at least 40% disabling. The Board finds that the Veteran is not unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied service connection for a thoracic spine disability and an acquired psychiatric disability (anxiety disorder) due to lack of new and material evidence. Service connection was not granted for residuals of a right foot injury, left-sided ribcage disability, or arthritis.

The Board denied the claims of service connection for psychiatric, cervical spine, lumbar spine, and bilateral hip disabilities. The appeal is not about service connection at all.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for TDIU was denied as there is no evidence of a factually ascertainable increase in disability due to his service-connected schizophrenia prior to July 27, 2006.