Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2014

The appellant has withdrawn all issues related to the appeal, including those regarding service connection for PTSD and anxiety, evaluations of shoulder conditions, major depressive disorder, tinnitus, and bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations to address the Veteran's right ankle disability, sleep apnea, and psychiatric disability claims.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to missing records and incomplete VA treatment records.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral pes planus and an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and depressive disorder. The decision found that there was no evidence of aggravation of a pre-existing foot condition during service and that there is no credible supporting evidence to establish the occurrence of any in-service stressor related to military service.

The Board has granted service connection for schizophrenia, finding that the Veteran's condition was incurred during his second period of active duty service.

The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, bilateral pes planus, and hammertoes and a bunion of the right foot. The claims were not reopened as new and material evidence was not received.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The Veteran is receiving the maximum schedular rating for residuals of status post right partial lateral meniscectomy.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not meet the criteria for service connection for any of the claimed conditions, including tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, an acquired psychiatric disorder (claimed as panic attacks and PTSD), left knee disorder, right knee disorder, left wrist disorder, right wrist disorder, low back disorder, or neck disorder.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for scheduling a personal hearing before a Veterans Law Judge at the RO or in the alternative, a videoconference hearing.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including scheduling a videoconference hearing. The issues of entitlement to service connection for various conditions are on appeal.

The Veteran's sleep apnea is as likely as not attributable to service, and the Board finds in favor of granting service connection for this condition. The claim for an acquired psychiatric disability to include PTSD remains pending.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for a right hip disability and granted it. The decision also addressed his claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that new evidence supports reopening of this claim as well.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired mental disorders did not have their onset in active service and are not otherwise causally related to active service. As a result, the claim for service connection is denied.

The Board found that the Veteran's current psychiatric disorder did not develop during service and is unrelated to service, thus denying his claim for service connection.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for substance use disorders on a secondary basis to his service-connected PTSD. The Board has determined that another VA examination, by a different examiner, is needed to determine the nature and etiology of all acquired psychiatric disorders present during the period of the claim.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and depression, secondary to his service-connected low back disability was denied. His claim for a higher evaluation for the same condition also failed.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary and has ordered a Travel Board hearing before the Veteran.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and VA treatment records, scheduling a psychiatric examination to determine if PTSD or another psychiatric disorder is related to service, and scheduling examinations to determine if the Veteran's liver disability, gastric disability, and hypertension are related to presumed herbicide exposure during active duty.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and depressive disorder, is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination.

The Board found no current diagnosis of PTSD or any other diagnosable psychiatric disorder during the appeal period, and thus denied service connection for these conditions.