Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2016

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

The preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including major depressive disorder and anxiety disorder, is causally or etiologically related to his period of honorable military service. The symptoms are more likely attributable to his dishonorable service following his conviction for indecent acts and liberties with a minor.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to obtain his full service personnel records, private treatment records, and VA treatment records. The AOJ will then re-evaluate the claim based on the newly obtained evidence.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for various conditions, finding that the character of his discharge barred him from receiving VA benefits other than health care under Chapter 17. The appeal was not about service connection at all.

The Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, is denied due to his failure to report for a VA medical examination.

The Board found that there is no credible evidence linking the Veteran's current psychiatric disorders to his military service, and thus denied the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining a medical opinion regarding the severity of his acquired psychiatric disability from August 5, 1975, to January 31, 1993, and readjudicating both the rating claim and TDIU claim under the appropriate criteria.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea, hypertension, residuals of a back injury, cervical spine disability, and psychiatric disability (including PTSD) have been granted.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including as secondary to peptic ulcer disease (PUD), and entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including depressive disorder NOS with panic attacks, schizophrenic disorder residual types with anxiety and somatizations, and schizophrenia undifferentiated type chronic, has been rated at 70 percent since February 22, 1999. This rating is effective as of the date of the grant of service connection for these conditions.

The Board has determined that the reduction of the Veteran's thoracolumbar spine disability rating from 40% to 20% effective November 1, 2010 was proper based on improvement in his condition as evidenced by a VA examination conducted in April 2010.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, specifically a depressive disorder, is caused by his service-connected asthma and tonsillitis. As such, the claim for service connection is granted.

The case is being remanded to obtain updated VA treatment records and to schedule the Veteran for VA examinations to assess his bilateral knee condition, neck condition, PTSD, and all other acquired psychiatric disorders. The RO will also make efforts to corroborate the Veteran's testimony regarding a parachuting accident in service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need to obtain additional medical records and Social Security Administration (SSA) records.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a videoconference hearing.

The Veteran is granted an effective date of October 1, 1968 for the award of service connection for PTSD and a 100 percent disability rating for his psychiatric disability.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, MDD, and anxiety disorder, was not shown to be related to service. His diverticulitis was also not shown to be related to service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for dermatitis of the hands and feet, as well as his claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder to include PTSD. The evidence did not establish a link between these conditions and service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a videoconference hearing and the issuance of a Statement of the Case (SOC) on several service connection claims.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claims, including obtaining VA treatment records and verifying his claimed stressors.