Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2013

The Board found that the Veteran's claims of service connection were denied as there was no evidence linking his current conditions to his military service.

The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, and asbestosis. The evidence did not support the Veteran's claims of in-service stressors or asbestos exposure.

The Board has granted service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, and other conditions such as kidney, bladder, and bilateral foot disorders. The Veteran's current diagnoses are supported by medical evidence linking these conditions to her military service.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include schizophrenia, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's right knee disability, including as due to a service-connected left foot fracture, was not incurred in or aggravated by active service.,The Veteran did not experience any in-service dental trauma or bone loss resulting in missing teeth for purposes of outpatient treatment.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including VA examinations to determine the relationship between his current sleep apnea and psychiatric disorders with his military service or a service-connected right knee disability.

The Board found no evidence linking the Veteran's current acquired psychiatric disabilities, including depression, schizophrenia, dysthymic disorder, and delusional disorder, to his service. The claim is denied.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, to include anxiety disorder. The Veteran's testimony and medical evidence have been considered in establishing this connection.

The Board has determined that the duty to assist the Veteran has not been fully met with regard to his claims for service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder and an acquired psychiatric disorder, including depression and alcohol abuse. The appeal is remanded to attempt verification of the Veteran's reported in-service stressful events.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, an acquired psychiatric disorder, lower extremity neuropathy, sleep apnea, and seizures were denied as the evidence did not establish service connection based on direct service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and records. The VA will conduct a physical examination to determine if his current abdominal symptoms, including pain, are related to service. They will also obtain all relevant VA treatment records from September 2006 to the present and any private treatment records of Drs. Hansen and Gaborek.

The Board has remanded the case due to the Veteran not receiving notices for VA examinations and a hearing before the Board. The case will be returned to the RO via the Appeals Management Center (AMC) in Washington, DC.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD and schizophrenia. However, the evidence does not establish a verified in-service stressor or current diagnosis of PTSD related to service.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of PTSD or any other psychiatric disability related to service, and his bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus are directly related to service. The claim for type II diabetes mellitus was denied as there is no evidence linking it to service.

The Board found that the Veteran's claimed in-service personal assault stressor has not been corroborated and there is no credible evidence of a current disability, a link between her service and any diagnosed condition, or a nexus between her claimed in-service stressor and any current acquired psychiatric disorder. As such, the claim for service connection was denied.

The Board denied reopening of the Veteran's previously denied claim for service connection for psychiatric disability, and also denied an increased rating for cardiac arrhythmia.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, and entitlement to TDIU were denied. The Board found that there was no credible supporting evidence of in-service stressors or a current diagnosis of PTSD related to his active duty military service.

The Veteran's appeal was partially withdrawn, and the remaining issues of service connection for lumbar spine disability, psychiatric disorder (including PTSD, anxiety, and depression), tinnitus, and ear condition were remanded for additional development.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for paranoid schizophrenia, as it is not within its jurisdiction to address such a freestanding claim.