Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2012

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete development and requires additional examinations for the Veteran's back, neck, and psychiatric disabilities.

The Board found that the Veteran's current diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia was not incurred or aggravated by active military service and denied his claim.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to attempt to schedule a hearing before the Board of Veterans' Appeals, taking into account his incarceration status.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for scheduling a personal hearing before a Veterans Law Judge at the VA office in San Juan.

The Board found that the Veteran's claimed residuals of cold exposure did not begin in service, have not existed continuously since service, and are not shown to be otherwise related to any incident of service. The claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder was addressed separately.

The Board has granted the Veteran's petition to reopen his claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, specifically a depressive disorder. The new evidence received since the December 2004 denial supports reopening the claim and suggests that a chronic acquired psychiatric disorder is related to service-connected lumbosacral DDD.

The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for service connection as his psychiatric disorders, including PTSD, were not shown to be related to his military service.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to address the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and an acquired psychiatric disability other than PTSD, including dysthymic disorder and major depressive disorder. The Veteran's claims are being remanded for further examination and opinion regarding the etiology of his claimed conditions.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings was dismissed due to his withdrawal of the appeal regarding lumbosacral disc derangement. The claim for an increased rating for sciatic nerve involvement with sensory loss of the left second toe is denied as it does not meet the criteria for a higher disability rating.

The Board has expanded the issue to include service connection for a generalized psychiatric disorder at the request of the Veteran and his representative. The case is REMANDED for further development, including obtaining additional treatment records from the Colorado Springs Vet Center and conducting a supplemental opinion by a VA examiner.

The Board has granted the Veteran's request to reopen his claims for service connection for a low back disability and an acquired psychiatric disorder, claimed as PTSD. However, further development is needed due to incomplete records and inadequate VA examination.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for a psychiatric disorder, but further development is needed to determine whether any current psychiatric disorder had onset in service.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's lower back disability and psychiatric disability, finding that both conditions are related to his in-service injuries. The claim is now substantiated.

The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder including PTSD and fibromyalgia, as well as the increased ratings for lumbar and cervical spine disabilities. The Veteran's claims were not reopened due to lack of evidence showing a nexus between her conditions and active service.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence of a chronic heart disability during service or within one year thereafter, and the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of a cardiac condition. Therefore, service connection for a cardiac disorder cannot be granted.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, heart disability, asthma, and stomach disability. The appeals were not granted as there was no credible evidence linking these conditions to service or any presumptive exposure.

The Board has granted service connection for arthritis of the right and left hands, as well as reopened the previously denied claim for a psychiatric disorder (now reopened to include PTSD and depressive disorder). The Veteran's current diagnoses are considered direct service connection cases.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including VA examinations.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and depressive disorder, is granted service connection. The low back disability is rated at 40 percent disabling effective January 6, 2010.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's PTSD is incurred in active military service and grants service connection for this condition. The other issues are being remanded for further development.