Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2015

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals for increased ratings in multiple conditions, including PTSD and peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities. As a result, there are no remaining issues to be decided by the Board.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD and clinical depression, was denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability related to service or any other presumptive basis. The claims for increased ratings for the left shoulder and hip disabilities were also denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and the signed consent form for his right knee arthroplasty.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, gastrointestinal disability, skin cancer, and PTSD are denied as there is no evidence of a current disability or in-service incurrence or aggravation.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been denied. The Board found no evidence of a current disability related to the claimed conditions and insufficient medical nexus opinions.

The Board has found that the Veteran's deviated nasal septum is related to in-service injuries and grants service connection for this condition. The issues of service connection for bilateral knee disability and acquired psychiatric disorder are also granted.

The Board found that the Veteran did not have exposure to Agent Orange and thus could not establish service connection for Parkinson's disease or an acquired psychiatric disorder on a presumptive basis. The claims were denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to the need to obtain additional medical records and provide a new opinion regarding the etiology of his schizophrenia.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a VA examination and opinion regarding the Veteran's claimed acquired psychiatric disorder, specifically PTSD. The issue of TDIU is also inextricably intertwined with this service connection claim.

The Board finds that the Veteran's strokes and related conditions are not due to carelessness, negligence, lack of proper skill, error in judgment, or similar instance of fault on the part of VA. The evidence does not support a finding that her strokes were caused by overmedication or neglect.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed acquired psychiatric disorder, including posttraumatic stress disorder and personality disorder, was not incurred or aggravated during service. The claim for secondary service connection of peripheral neuropathy to diabetes mellitus is also denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hepatitis C, PTSD, TBI, and a compensable rating for post-operative scarring from CABG were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support these claims.

The Veteran's current acquired psychiatric disorder, major depressive disorder, is related to his military service. The Board finds that the Veteran has a right shoulder scar as a result of being stabbed in the back during service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's tinnitus was incurred during his first period of active duty service from December 2008 to January 2010.,The Veteran has a current right knee disorder and the evidence is in equipoise as to whether it was incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Veteran's right and left shoulder disabilities have been granted service connection, with the right shoulder rated at 30% and the left shoulder rated at 20%. The effective dates for these awards are October 19, 2011.

The Board has determined that there is no current diagnosis of an acquired psychiatric disorder in the claims file throughout the appeal period, and thus service connection for a psychiatric disorder cannot be granted.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been presented to reopen the claim for service connection for osteoarthritis, bilateral hips. The Veteran's claim for service connection for a bilateral hip disability is therefore denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to confusion regarding the type and location of hearing requested. The case will be handled by scheduling a video-conference hearing in Waco, Texas.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to his request for a hearing at an alternate location. The AOJ needs to explore all reasonable avenues for accommodating the Veteran's hearing request.