Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2014

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to insufficient opinions regarding his psychiatric disorder and the severity of his thoracolumbar spine disability. The TDIU claim is also being remanded.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeal regarding the issues of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD and an increased rating for a right shoulder disability. As a result, these issues are dismissed.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of PTSD and diagnosed him with mood disorder NOS and personality disorder NOS. The preponderance of evidence is against finding any relationship between his current psychiatric disorders and service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including diabetes mellitus and heart disability, were denied as there was no evidence of in-service onset or relationship to service.

The Veteran's appeal regarding the September 2004 rating decision is granted, and his claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder including PTSD and a compensable disability rating for bilateral hearing loss are remanded for further development.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence was not received to reopen the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, which had previously been denied in January 2009.

The Board found that the Veteran does not meet the diagnostic criteria for PTSD and therefore denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD.

The Veteran's claims for compensation under 1151 and secondary service connection were denied as there was no evidence of VA negligence or fault in the care provided, and his conditions are not considered to be proximately due to or the result of a condition that has been previously established.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a left forearm disorder, low back disorder, and acquired psychiatric disorder. The Veteran did not have a current diagnosis of these conditions during his appeal period.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA and private treatment records, scheduling a VA psychiatric examination, and readjudicating the claim.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder is related to his service-connected lumbar spine and bilateral lower extremities. His radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, sciatic nerve, associated with service-connected lumbar disc and degenerative joint disease, meets criteria for a 10 percent rating. The Veteran's radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, sciatic and cutaneous nerves, does not meet criteria for any higher rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of sexually transmitted diseases, including a penile cyst. The Veteran's currently diagnosed penile benign cyst is not caused by his service-connected gonorrhea from over 40 years ago.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of PTSD and therefore, service connection for PTSD is denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to new evidence received since the last supplemental statement of the case and additional private medical records are needed for consideration.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated medical records and scheduling the Veteran for a VA psychiatric examination to determine if his acquired psychiatric disorder is related to his service-connected bronchial asthma. Additionally, he will be scheduled for a VA respiratory examination to assess the severity of his service-connected bronchial asthma.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and a psychiatric disorder due to additional development being required.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for his left knee disability and instability prior to January 22, 2013 were denied as the evidence did not show that he met the criteria for a higher rating under applicable diagnostic codes.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, bilateral shoulder disability, and drug and alcohol abuse. The decision found that new evidence did not relate to unestablished facts necessary to substantiate the claim.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than major depressive disorder and PTSD, claimed as psychosis with neurosis, due to incomplete development of records and need for a VA examination.

The Board found that the Veteran's allegations of a personal assault in service were not credible and did not meet the criteria for PTSD. The acquired psychiatric disorder was also not shown to be causally or etiologically related to any disease, injury, or incident in service.