Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2013

The Board has remanded the case due to issues related to the Veteran's failure to report for a VA examination and confusion over address changes. The appeal is now pending again.

The Board found that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder was not incurred in service and may not be presumed to have been incurred in service.

The Veteran's schizophrenia, currently diagnosed as an acquired psychiatric disorder, was incurred during active duty service. The Board finds that the evidence is at least in equipoise regarding service connection and grants the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and a total disability rating are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and conducting further examinations.

The Veteran asserts that his current psychiatric disorder manifested in service and was caused by the stress of military life. He claims he drank alcohol and used drugs during service, which were prodromal symptoms of the psychiatric disorder.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete development and need for a VA psychiatric examination.

The Veteran died from nonservice-connected causes and was buried within two years of his death. However, the claim for nonservice-connected burial benefits is denied as it was filed more than two years after the burial.

The Board has determined that the appellant's ACDUTRA service does not meet the criteria for attaining Veteran status, and therefore cannot establish service connection for any of the claimed disabilities. The Board also found no competent or credible evidence linking any of these conditions to the appellant's military service.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD. The Veteran provided details of in-service stressors and current symptomatology.

The Veteran does not have PTSD or any other acquired psychiatric disorder that is related to military service, and there is no corroborating evidence of the claimed in-service stressors.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to failure to obtain relevant employment records and a VA examination. The issues of service connection for Multiple Sclerosis and an acquired psychiatric disability are inextricably intertwined.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's appeal is not about service connection and thus does not address any of his claims for service connection. The case must be remanded to schedule a videoconference hearing.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, schizophrenia, depression, and psychosis NOS, is not related to service or service-connected conditions.

The Veteran does not have a current psychiatric disability that manifested or began in service, was aggravated by service, or is causally related to service. Therefore, the Board finds that service connection for a psychiatric disability cannot be established.

The Board found that the Veteran's hepatitis, bilateral leg disorder, and acquired psychiatric disorder were not service-connected due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service. The claims for service connection were denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his current psychiatric disorder and Crohn's disease.

The Board has remanded the case for further development including obtaining SSA records, scheduling a VA examination, and readjudicating the claim.

The Veteran's service connection claim for a cervical spine disability and an acquired psychiatric disorder, including adjustment disorder, is granted. The cervical spine disability was found to be due to an undiagnosed illness manifested by pain within one year of discharge.

The Board has remanded the case to the RO for a Travel Board Hearing, and will not make a decision on the merits of the service connection claim until further action is taken.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have PTSD or other psychiatric disorders that were incurred in service. The clinical evidence did not support a diagnosis of PTSD, and there is no indication of such a condition during her military service or within one year after discharge.