Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2015

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of PTSD or any other psychiatric disability, and therefore service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Board finds that the Veteran does not have residuals of a left arm fracture or an acquired psychiatric disorder due to any incident of his active duty service. The preponderance of evidence reflects that he does not have these conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to deficiencies in the September 2012 VA orthopedic and psychiatric examinations.

The Board found that the Veteran does not meet the criteria for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD and depression, due to lack of a diagnosis in accordance with DSM-IV.

The Veteran has been diagnosed with an acquired psychiatric disorder (MDD) and skin disorders, but the evidence does not support a service connection for either condition.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions, including PTSD, skin rash, gastrointestinal issues, diabetes, erectile dysfunction, tingling feet, cardiovascular disorders, and back disorder. The appeal is considered on its merits.

The Board has determined that the VA opinion is inadequate for evaluation purposes and thus, service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD cannot be granted as there is no competent evidence of a current disability related to service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of residuals from the allergic reaction to penicillin and no evidence linking a skin disease or an acquired psychiatric disorder to active service, including exposure to Agent Orange.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including scheduling a VA examination and obtaining relevant medical records.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is service-connected due to aggravation by military noise exposure. The acquired psychiatric disorder (claimed as PTSD) is not service-connected, but the Veteran has raised a claim for TDIU based on his current disability.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral lower extremity edema was denied, as there is no evidence that the condition is related to his service-connected diabetes mellitus.,Service connection for diabetic neuropathy of the lower extremities was granted with a noncompensable evaluation.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA examinations and providing a list of the appellant's periods of active duty for training (ACDUTRA) and inactive duty for training (INACDUTRA).

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current paranoid schizophrenia is more likely than not related to his military service, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for right chronic Achilles tendonitis, cervical spine disability, acquired psychiatric disabilities (including PTSD, bipolar disorder, and depression), migraine headaches, radiculopathy, and thoracic outlet syndrome was granted with an effective date of September 28, 2009.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus and its associated complications, as well as his acquired psychiatric disorder (depression and/or PTSD), have not been found to be related to service or exposure to herbicides.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims, including obtaining VA examinations and records, as well as Social Security Administration records.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and Hippocampus Sclerosis Syndrome, is related to his active duty service. As such, the claim for service connection is granted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to incomplete records and the need for additional examinations. The issues are whether he has service connection for PTSD and a compensable rating for allergic rhinitis.

The Board has declined to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and schizophrenia. New evidence submitted since the last denial does not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate either claim, but some of the new evidence may raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating one or both claims.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including verification of an in-service stressor and a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of his psychiatric disorder. If service connection is established, another VA examination will be conducted to assess whether any current hypertension or cardiovascular disability are caused by or aggravated by the service-connected psychiatric disorder.