Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2012

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for a ruptured left eardrum, chronic acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD), chronic gastrointestinal disorder (including hiatal hernia and GERD), chronic hypertension, and chronic erectile dysfunction. The effective dates for the awards of service connection for bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus were also denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a heart condition, sun (heat) stroke, and an acquired psychiatric disorder to include depression were denied as there is no evidence of a link between these conditions and his military service.

The Board has remanded the case for a videoconference hearing at the RO in Phoenix, Arizona due to the Veteran's relocation.

The Board determined that the reduction of the Veteran's disability compensation payment to 10 percent rate, effective June 21, 2008, was proper due to incarceration for a felony conviction.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to a request for Social Security Administration (SSA) records.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), is found to be related to his military service and the claim for service connection is granted.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and medical opinions. The VA will provide a Statement of the Case (SOC) addressing her claims, obtain all pertinent records, and schedule her for VA examinations.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling examinations.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence of an acquired psychiatric disability or a neck disability during service, and the competent medical evidence does not support a finding of current disabilities related to service. Therefore, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board finds that the Veteran has the mental capacity to manage his own funds and therefore grants a finding of competency for handling VA benefits.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining service personnel records and medical opinions regarding the Appellant's claims of service connection.

The Veteran's claims are being remanded for a videoconference hearing before the Board of Veterans' Appeals.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss in the left ear and PTSD. The Veteran's current diagnoses of bilateral hearing loss, specifically in the left ear, are supported by VA audiometry results and clinical examination. Service records confirm his exposure to noise during military service. For PTSD, the Veteran provided credible testimony regarding combat stressors related to fear of hostile military activity consistent with the circumstances of his service in Iraq. The Board found sufficient evidence to support these claims.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and Social Security Administration (SSA) disability records. The Veteran should be afforded VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his alleged bilateral knee disorder, acquired psychiatric disorder, and dental disorder.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling examinations to address the Veteran's claims. The reopened claims for service connection for a low back disorder and an acquired psychiatric disorder will be reviewed on a de novo basis.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, was denied as there is no competent evidence showing the current disability is related to his military service.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for PTSD was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not establish a diagnosis of PTSD in accordance with DSM-IV, and thus could not meet the criteria for service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected schizophrenia is found to have caused his substance abuse, which in turn contributed to his hypertension and diabetes control. This combination ultimately led to a fatal cerebral hemorrhage.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining service treatment records and scheduling VA examinations to determine the etiology of various disabilities claimed by the appellant.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a cervical spine disability and an acquired psychiatric disorder were denied. The claim for higher initial rating for low back strain was denied, but the Veteran received a compensable evaluation for osteomyelitis of the lumbar spine with septic arthritis and a noncompensable evaluation for residuals of fracture of the left ring finger. The issue of entitlement to TDIU remains pending.