Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2015

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including depression and anxiety, as well as PTSD. The Veteran's claims were reopened based on the submission of new evidence.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected type 2 diabetes mellitus was an etiological factor for his development of hypertension, and therefore grants service connection for hypertension as secondary to type 2 diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran does not have an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include depression and PTSD, related to service. A confirmed diagnosis for PTSD is not shown.

The Veteran's painful scar, residuals of second degree burns, right forearm and hand, is rated at 10 percent since February 9, 2010. Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (including major depressive disorder and PTSD) secondary to the scar is granted.

The Veteran's tinnitus was found to be incurred in service, and he is granted service connection for this condition. The Board also notes that the Veteran has bilateral hearing loss which may be related to his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for schizophrenia, finding that the condition is directly related to active duty service.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for cold injuries of the upper and lower extremities with polyneuropathy is dismissed. The Board finds that he has current diagnoses of osteoarthritis of his right ankle and an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, anxiety disorder, and dysthymic disorder, which are related to his active military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and neurogenic bladder was denied. The Board found that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's neurogenic bladder disability more nearly approximates a 40 percent rating for urinary frequency, which contemplates daytime voiding intervals less than one hour or awakening to void five or more times per night.

The Board has granted service connection for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and found it is as likely as not related to the Veteran's exposure to chemicals during his active duty in southwest Asia. The issue of whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen service connection for a psychiatric disorder remains pending.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to inadequate opinions regarding service connection for low back and psychiatric disorders.

The Board has remanded the case due to a request from the Veteran for a hearing at his local VA office. The appeal is now pending and will be handled by the RO.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are denied due to his own willful misconduct in the motor vehicle accident of April [redacted], 1975. The Board found that none of the conditions claimed were related to active military service.

The Board found that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disabilities, including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, are not related to his military service.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development and an opinion regarding whether any current psychiatric disability is related to service, in part.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to clarify the creation and notification of an overpayment of pension benefits.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hepatitis, an acquired psychiatric disorder, a back disorder, and bilateral eye disorders. The decision found no current evidence of hepatitis or a current diagnosis of thoracic lordosis. It also determined that there was insufficient medical evidence to establish a link between the Veteran's back disorder and his active duty service. The Board denied service connection for bilateral eye disorders as well.

The Board has remanded the case due to a lost claims file, and additional efforts are needed to rebuild it. The Veteran's representative requested a special examination for disabilities associated with participation in the Persian Gulf War.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, is related to her in-service trauma. The Board finds credible the Veteran's assertion of a sexual assault during service and concludes that she has an acquired psychiatric disorder as a result of this trauma. The Veteran also has a low back disorder which is related to her in-service injury on stairs.

The Board found that the Veteran did not have a diagnosis of PTSD and his acquired psychiatric disorder is not related to service. Additionally, vertigo was not caused or aggravated by a service-connected disability.

The Board has determined that the appellant was discharged from service due to a service-connected disability (schizophrenia), meeting the legal criteria for basic eligibility for VA home loan benefits.