Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2016

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been received to reopen the claims for service connection for carpal tunnel syndrome, a back injury, and a psychiatric disability. The Veteran's statements regarding these conditions are considered insufficient to establish service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development of his claims for service connection for a recurrent lumbar spine disorder and an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, anxiety, and depression.

The Board is remanding the case for additional development, including obtaining inpatient mental health records from Parris Island and attempting to corroborate a reported stressor of witnessing a suicide. The Veteran's claim will also be reviewed for service connection as secondary to his service-connected TBI.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and providing medical opinions regarding asbestos exposure, hepatitis B, and C. The Veteran's claims of service connection for these conditions are pending.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a psychiatric disorder other than PTSD and an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for PUD, finding that there was no evidence to support these claims.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed psychiatric, knee, hearing loss, and rhabdomyolysis disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for increased disability ratings for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as his claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder including PTSD are being remanded due to the need for a videoconference hearing.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to incomplete records and inadequate VA examination. The Veteran's claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, remains pending.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including a VA psychiatric examination to determine if the Veteran meets the criteria for PTSD under DSM-IV.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD due to military sexual trauma and/or physical assault. The decision is based on the Veteran's credible account of in-service stressors and supporting evidence.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, but denied the claim as there is no evidence showing a link between his current psychiatric conditions and his military service.

The Board found that the Veteran does not meet criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD and therefore denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability, to include schizophrenia, is found to be aggravated by his service-connected degenerative disc disease and degenerative joint disease of the thoracolumbar spine. The Veteran's sleep apnea is found to have been caused by his service-connected acquired psychiatric disability.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including an acquired psychiatric disorder, were denied as the evidence did not establish a link between her current symptoms and in-service stressors or other incidents.

The Board has ordered a remand to obtain additional medical records and provide the Veteran with an examination to determine if his current psychiatric disorders are related to service. The appeal is currently pending due to this remand.

The Veteran's appeal was denied for the issues of entitlement to a compensable rating prior to March 2, 2011, and higher than 10 percent for the period prior to January 4, 2000, for anxiety disability; entitlement to TDIU for the period prior to January 4, 2000; and entitlement to SMC for the period prior to January 4, 2000 forward.

The Veteran's schizophrenia with major depressive disorder is found to have been incurred in service.,PTSD was not diagnosed during the appeal period and thus, service connection for PTSD cannot be established.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD and prostate cancer, along with erectile dysfunction, make him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment prior to May 24, 2012. His TDIU claim is granted.

The Board has reopened the claim and granted service connection for schizophrenia, finding that new evidence supports a link between the Veteran's symptoms during service and his current diagnosis of schizophrenia.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, and for increased ratings for bilateral hearing loss. The issues of TDIU and SMC were also addressed.