Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2013

The Board has granted service connection for anxiety disorder, NOS. The appeal of the denial of service connection for residuals of a right ankle fracture is dismissed.

The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD. The Veteran's symptoms were diagnosed as adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, but the VA examiner found that these did not meet the criteria for PTSD under DSM-IV.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and determined that there is at least a reasonable doubt as to whether his current condition was incurred in service. As such, the appeal is granted.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD and a psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, finding that the evidence is in relative equipoise as to whether these conditions are due to combat stressors. Service connection was also granted for Reiter's syndrome.

The Veteran's bilateral foot disorder and acquired psychiatric disorder were not found to be related to service or secondary to service-connected disabilities.,Both conditions are presumed to have been caused by the Veteran's military service.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability other than PTSD, to include bipolar disorder, was not incurred in or aggravated by active service, including as due to herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, specifically PTSD, is being remanded due to the need for a medical opinion regarding the sufficiency of his in-service stressors and whether he currently has PTSD related to his military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for back and neck conditions, as well as his claim for an acquired psychiatric condition. The evidence did not establish a link between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a VA examination to determine the current level of severity of his service-connected eye disability and another VA examination to determine whether he has a diagnosis of a psychiatric disorder caused by service or service-connected disorders. The claims will be readjudicated after this additional development.

The Board is remanding the case for further development to determine if the Veteran has PTSD and whether his current psychiatric disability was caused by or aggravated by his military service.

The Board found no evidence to support the Veteran's claims for bilateral shoulder disability and PTSD, concluding that any current disabilities are not related to his military service.

The Veteran has been diagnosed with PTSD and a mood disorder, both linked to an in-service personal assault. The Board finds sufficient circumstantial evidence to corroborate the Veteran's assertions of physical assault during basic training.

The Board has ordered a new examination to determine the etiology of the Veteran's psychiatric disorders, including PTSD and gender identity disorder. The case is being remanded for further development.

The Board denied service connection for residuals of a neck injury and the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (to include PTSD) remains pending.

The Veteran does not have any of the claimed conditions that are related to his service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development to obtain inpatient and outpatient treatment records from various facilities, including those related to the Veteran's incarceration and VA treatment. The claim will be readjudicated after all requested development is completed.

The Board found that the Veteran's back disorder was not incurred in or aggravated by service and arthritis may not be presumed to have been so incurred.,There is no competent evidence relating any current psychiatric diagnosis to an incident of service or a service-connected disability. The Board concluded that the Veteran does not meet the criteria for service connection for PTSD, Major Depression, or Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including schizoaffective, dysthymic and depressive disorders and paranoid schizophrenia, is not shown to be etiologically related to his active military service. The Board finds that the Veteran's current acquired psychiatric disorder (depressive disorder) is secondary to his non-service-connected PTSD.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling examinations to address his hearing loss, tinnitus, psychiatric disorder, and cervical spine disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current disability related to her active military service for bilateral knee, low back, headache, or psychiatric conditions. As such, the claims for service connection are denied.