Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2015

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, arthritis, and eye conditions (including conjunctivitis and blindness in one eye) due to new evidence received since the last final denial. The Veteran's PTSD is found to be related to his active duty service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and MDD, as well as his hepatitis C, are related to service. The claim for these conditions is granted.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD has been denied. The remaining issues of increased evaluations for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine and radiculopathy of the right lower extremity are pending.

The Board has determined that the Veteran is not competent to handle disbursement of VA funds due to his mental incapacity, as evidenced by medical opinions and his own statements.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a stomach disorder and an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include anxiety disorder and PTSD, are being remanded due to incomplete records and the need to verify his Reserve service.

The Veteran's fatigue and memory loss are attributed to his service-connected PTSD and non-service-connected dysthymic disorder, and there is no separate disability found.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, and bilateral hearing loss were denied as the evidence does not support a finding of current disability related to his military service.

The Board has granted a 40% rating for the Veteran's lumbar strain with IVDS effective June 24, 2009. The Veteran's radiculopathy of the right leg is also service connected as secondary to his low back disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's sleep apnea was not incurred in or aggravated by service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to missing records and unverified service information.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for schizophrenia is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including consideration of recent VA treatment records and a March 2014 psychiatric examination.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The Board found no evidence of a current diagnosis of diabetes or glaucoma, and the left shoulder and neck disorders are not related to service.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to a disagreement with the determination of her eligibility for the Post-9/11 GI Bill educational assistance at the 100 percent rate. The AOJ must determine if DoD has authority to decide whether her discharge was due to service-connected disability, or obtain a VA opinion on whether her schizophrenia is related to the personality change due to partial right temporal lobectomy.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for any of the conditions, including right hand scars, left hip scar, chin scar, and knee conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension, but denied the remaining claims. The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability and right knee disability are not found to be related to his military service.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for PTSD and determined that new evidence supports a diagnosis, but there is no credible supporting evidence to substantiate the claimed in-service stressors. The appellant's other psychiatric conditions are not related to his period of active duty training (ADT).

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and a psychiatric disorder (to include PTSD and depression). The Board has dismissed these matters as there are no remaining issues to consider.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, specifically a panic disorder without agoraphobia, is being remanded due to the need for further development and examination.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA psychiatric examination to address service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder to include PTSD.

The appeal is being remanded to obtain VA treatment records and to schedule the Veteran for a VA examination to assess his psychiatric disorder, right shoulder tendonitis, diabetes mellitus with erectile dysfunction, and right knee disability.