Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2012

The Board has granted service connection for headaches, finding that the Veteran's current headache symptoms are related to his in-service head injury. The acquired psychiatric disorder claim remains pending and will be remanded.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and consideration, including a VA mental status evaluation to determine if any of the diagnosed psychiatric disorders are related to military service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including issuance of a Statement of the Case and VA examinations. The Veteran's claims for service connection are pending.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional development and consideration of new evidence.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's appeal requires additional development and a new hearing, as the Veterans Law Judge who conducted his hearing has since retired.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to a scheduling issue for a videoconference hearing. The current rating of 50 percent for his variously diagnosed psychiatric disability remains on appeal.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and medical inquiry due to new evidence indicating a current diagnosis of PTSD, but the claim remains denied as there is no direct service connection established.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office for further review of new evidence submitted by his representative.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to incomplete medical opinions and missing VA treatment records.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and examination to determine if the Veteran's posttraumatic stress disorder is related to in-service stressors or any other psychiatric condition.

The Board found that the Veteran experienced or witnessed traumatic events in Vietnam, which led to PTSD. The claim for service connection was granted.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, irritable bowel syndrome, and left wrist disorder are being remanded. His claim for increased ratings of his left knee disabilities is decided in favor of the Veteran.

The Board found that the Veteran did not timely file a substantive appeal for his claims regarding lumbar spine disorder, acquired psychiatric disorder (including depression), eye disorder, gastrointestinal disorder, foot and leg disorder, sinusitis, left ankle scar, and tendonitis of the left leg and foot. As such, these issues are denied.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than December 29, 1994, for the grant of service connection for schizophrenia was granted. The effective date is set at May 11, 1993.,The Veteran's claims for a higher rating for schizophrenia prior to August 9, 2004, and an earlier effective date remain pending.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and the need for additional examinations. The Veteran's claims for service connection, increased evaluations, and gastroesophageal reflux disease are pending.

The Board has determined that additional evidence is needed to fully and fairly consider the Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including chronic paranoid schizophrenia. The case is being remanded to obtain relevant medical records, verify stressor events, and conduct further examination.

The Board found that the Veteran's current acquired psychiatric disorder is not related to his service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including his service-connected schizophrenia, has been found to warrant total occupational and social impairment due to symptoms such as gross impairment in thought processes or communication; persistent delusions or hallucinations; grossly inappropriate behavior; persistent danger of hurting self or others; intermittent inability to perform activities of daily living (including maintenance of minimal personal hygiene); disorientation to time or place; memory loss for names of close relatives, own occupation, or own name.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to unverified stressors and a need for an examination to determine if the Veteran's claimed stressors are sufficient to support a diagnosis of PTSD.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current bilateral hearing loss disability, a psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and depression), or a skin disorder (chronic dermatitis and onychomycosis) due to service. The decision is in favor of granting service connection for the skin disorder.