Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2011

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD; a head disorder; a neck disorder; and a back disorder. The evidence did not establish that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by military service.

The Veteran's claims for new and material evidence to reopen his service connection claims are being remanded due to the failure to report for a scheduled hearing. The Board will reschedule the Veteran for a Travel Board hearing at the earliest available opportunity.

The Board has expanded the claim to include any acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD. Further development is needed due to inadequate medical evidence regarding current diagnoses and a possible service connection.

The Board has remanded the case for further development of the evidence, including obtaining additional medical records and arranging for a VA 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 clarification of his hearing preference and scheduling a hearing before the RO.

The Board found the Veteran's statements regarding his in-service incident to be exaggerated and inconsistent with the deck logs. The Board denied service connection for a psychiatric disorder as there was no credible evidence linking current symptoms to service.

The Board has found that the Veteran's schizophrenia, a psychosis, may be presumed to have been incurred in service due to symptoms manifesting within one year of separation from active duty.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining VA and private treatment records, scheduling a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any current acquired psychiatric disorders, and readjudicating the claim based on all lay and medical evidence.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD. The current evidence supports a diagnosis of an acquired psychiatric condition.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD. The issue of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, other than PTSD, is being remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to insufficient evidence regarding service connection for cardiovascular disease and PTSD.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to schedule a Travel Board hearing before a Veterans Law Judge at the appropriate RO office. The claim for nonservice-connected pension benefits, reopening of service connection for low back disability, and service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder are all part of this appeal.

The Board has granted service connection for a back disability and an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, anxiety disorder, and major depressive disorder. The claim for increased rating for residuals of fractures of both mandibles is addressed in the REMAND portion.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development of the record, including obtaining VA and non-VA medical records related to the appellant's claimed psychiatric disorder. The appeal will be readjudicated based on all evidence.

The Board has remanded the case for further proceedings due to issues with VA's duty to assist and incomplete SSA records. The Veteran's claim will be re-adjudicated after these actions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, is granted.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, HTN, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The Board found that there was no evidence of a stressor related to service or any nexus between current conditions and service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining records from the Richmond VAMC and scheduling VA examinations to determine the extent of disability attributable to service-connected conditions.

The Board finds that the Veteran's current acquired psychiatric disorder, including schizophrenia, was not incurred in or aggravated by active military service. The claim is denied.

The Board denied reopening the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to lack of new and material evidence, including exposure to Agent Orange. The appellant was informed that her lay statements were not considered as new and material evidence.