Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2012

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including a psychotic disorder with polysubstance abuse, is related to his service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's partial ankylosis of the right shoulder with postoperative arthritis was granted a rating greater than 20 percent. Service connection for his claimed acquired psychiatric disorder (depression) was denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a nervous disorder, including schizophrenia, finding that the evidence did not support a link between his military service and his current mental health condition.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and a compensable rating for his right fifth finger disability, finding that there is no evidence of such conditions during or within one year after active duty. The effective date for the award of service connection remains May 6, 1980.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, is granted as the evidence supports a finding that his current diagnosis of PTSD is related to his military service.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type 2, is granted as secondary to Agent Orange exposure. His bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus are presumed due to in-service acoustic trauma. Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, is granted based on presumed combat experience.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for headaches and an acquired psychiatric disorder, but denied both on the merits. The Veteran is entitled to a new rating decision based on the reopened claims.

The Board has remanded the case to the RO for further development and readjudication due to new evidence received since the May 2006 Supplemental Statement of the Case.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD. The decision is based on a finding that her current psychiatric disorders are not related to military service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including scheduling a VA PTSD examination and obtaining additional medical records. The Veteran's claim will be reconsidered based on the new evidence.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, finding that there was no credible evidence linking her current psychiatric disabilities to her period of active duty training in 1981.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for headaches has been reopened, and the evidence now supports this claim.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for flat feet, an acquired psychiatric disorder (major depression with psychosis), and hypertension have also been reopened. The evidence now supports these claims as well.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD is productive of symptoms such as inconsistent hygiene, heightened anger and irritability, nightmares, anxiety, depression, occasional panic attacks, difficulty sleeping, memory impairment, obsessive and ritualistic behavior, and periodic self-destructive thoughts. The Board finds that the criteria for a disability rating of 70 percent have been met.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including PTSD, schizophrenia, insomnia, and a psychotic disorder, were first manifested during service and have persisted since then. The Board grants the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder and the residuals of a gunshot wound to the head, including seizure and kidney disorders, were not incurred during active service or as a result of a service-connected disability. The Board found that there was no clear and unmistakable evidence showing aggravation of these conditions.

The Board has denied the Veteran's request to reopen his claim of service connection for schizophrenia, finding that no new and material evidence has been submitted. The claim was previously denied in May 1982 due to lack of evidence linking the current condition to military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to further development of evidence being required, including a statement of the case for the issue of nonservice-connected disability pension benefits and scheduling a hearing before a Veterans Law Judge.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's appeal requires additional development and a new examination to determine the nature and extent of his right knee disorder, as well as a new examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected TMJ. The case is therefore REMANDED for these actions.

The Board found no evidence of a link between the Veteran's schizoaffective disorder and his military service, thus denying his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and arthritis need further development to ensure all relevant evidence is considered. The case will be returned to the Board after this additional development.