Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2013

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD and anxiety disorder, is granted. The Board finds that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether his PTSD and anxiety disorder are related to his military service. For the initial compensable rating for residuals of malaria, a VA examination is needed due to the passage of time since the last examination.

The Veteran's unauthorized medical expenses incurred from April 6 to 8, 2010 at the Ocala Regional Medical Center are approved due to his service-connected disabilities and the lack of feasible availability of VA facilities.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining missing service records and scheduling a VA examination. The claims will be re-adjudicated after the development.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for further development, including scheduling a VA examination and providing notice of the examination at his current address. The Veteran is seeking service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include schizophrenia.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder secondary to service-connected gastritis and assigned a 30 percent disability rating for gastritis. The Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for gastritis was denied.

The Veteran's schizophrenia resulted in total occupational and social impairment within the year prior to his June 15, 2004 claim for a higher rating. The Board finds that an effective date of June 15, 2004 is warranted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of PTSD and his other diagnosed acquired psychiatric disorders are not related to service. Therefore, the claims for service connection for both PTSD and an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD are denied.

The Board found no clear and unmistakable error in the denial of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, but determined new and material evidence had been received to reopen a claim for PTSD. The decision is mixed as it addressed both issues.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for PTSD, an acquired psychiatric disorder to include depression, and headaches due to head trauma. The merits of these claims will be addressed in a future remand.

The Veteran's service connection for PTSD is granted, and the claims for higher ratings for his right and left knee disabilities are addressed. The issue of TDIU is part and parcel of the determination of the claim for a higher rating for the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.

The Board found that the Veteran's right forearm disability was not incurred in service as it pre-existed his enlistment and did not increase in severity during service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder is related to service. The claim will be readjudicated after these actions.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected psychiatric disability is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and review of available medical records.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability other than PTSD, residuals of a stroke, and a low spine disability. The claim for residuals of a stroke was not substantiated as it did not manifest during service or within one year after separation from service.

The Veteran's IBS is related to his service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations, and he has a presumptive claim for this condition. The Board also granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (to include PTSD and depression) based on evidence that it may be related to fear of hostile military activity during service. Service connection was denied for the gastroesophageal disorder due to lack of sufficient evidence.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and scheduling the Veteran for appropriate examinations to determine if any current psychiatric or back disabilities are related to his military service.

The Board found that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia and PTSD, did not meet the criteria for service connection due to lack of evidence showing onset during or within one year after service.

The Veteran's low back disability was not shown to be related to service, and the Board found no evidence of additional heart attack or psychiatric disability resulting from VA treatment. The Veteran does not have any service-connected disabilities.,VA did not find that the Veteran's current conditions were caused by hospital care, medical or surgical treatment provided under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151.

The Board found that the Veteran did not have a current psychiatric disorder due to service, and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and conducting a VA examination. The issues are service connection for PTSD and non-PTSD psychiatric disorders.