Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2011

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and a VA mental disorders examination to determine if any currently diagnosed acquired psychiatric disorder is at least as likely as not caused or aggravated by service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete development of records, particularly from his military service and VA medical treatment. The AOJ is instructed to obtain relevant records and provide a supplemental statement of the case if necessary.

The Board has granted service connection for various conditions, including a psychiatric disorder, joint pain, chronic diarrhea, headaches, pseudotumor cerebri, and low back disorder, all of which are found to be related to the Veteran's active duty in the Southwest Asia theater during the Persian Gulf War.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of PTSD was denied, while his claim for schizophrenia received a favorable decision with the effective date set at February 18, 1977.

The Board has determined that the Veteran had an acquired psychiatric disorder during service and that this condition is related to his military service. As a result, the claim for accrued benefits is granted.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including schizophrenia. The claim is allowed.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have PTSD or a mental disorder related to service and therefore denied both claims.

The Veteran's service connection claim for bilateral hearing loss is dismissed. The Board grants service connection for burn scars of the neck and left arm and axilla, finding that they were aggravated in service. Service connection is also granted for a chronic neck disorder (cervical dystonia torticollis and degenerative arthritis) as it was caused by the aggravation of pre-existing scar tissue during service. The claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder (depression) remains pending.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for a psychiatric disorder and a disability of the right lower extremity. However, no new or material evidence was found to support reopening the claim for a skin disorder.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, but the evidence does not meet the criteria for establishing service connection in any of the conditions listed.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, is being remanded due to the inability to locate him and obtain necessary information. The VA will attempt to contact the Veteran at his last known address and request any non-VA medical records.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn for the issues of entitlement to service connection for arthritis, left hand, and glaucoma. The issue of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, remains on appeal.

The Board has determined that a VA psychiatric examination is necessary to determine if the Veteran's current psychiatric disability is caused or aggravated by his service-connected disabilities. The case will be returned for further development.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and providing the Veteran with new VA examinations to address the nature and etiology of his claimed conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include posttraumatic stress disorder, is being remanded due to the need to verify additional reported stressors and obtain a comprehensive VA examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have PTSD and his bipolar disorder did not start during service or is otherwise related to it. Therefore, he cannot be granted service connection for these conditions.

The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of recent medical evidence and inability to obtain records from prison mental health providers. The Veteran's claim for an increased rating in excess of 50 percent for service-connected schizophrenia is pending.

The Veteran's skin disorder (tinea versicolor) is found to have existed since service and is granted service connection. Residuals of uterine perforation are not shown, as the VA examination did not find any evidence of such residuals. Service connection for a psychiatric disorder is also denied.

The Board has granted the appellant's request to reopen his claims for service connection for osteoarthritis of the right shoulder and an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding new and material evidence. The claim for service connection for these conditions is now considered on its merits.

The Board found that the appellant's diagnosed psychiatric disorders are not etiologically related to service and denied his claim for service connection.