Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2016

The Board found that the Veteran's claimed stressors, including a search and rescue operation involving drowning children, were not verified. As such, service connection for PTSD could not be established.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for chronic fatigue, skin disorder, psychiatric disorder, and sleep disorder have all been denied. The Board found no evidence of a chronic disability characterized by chronic fatigue or any other qualifying chronic disability related to undiagnosed illness. The Veteran's skin disorder was not shown to be due to exposure in the Persian Gulf War.,The Veteran has multiple diagnoses for her skin condition, including eczema and tinea infections. However, these conditions are not considered manifestations of a Gulf War-related undiagnosed illness.

The VA Board of Veterans' Appeals has determined that the Veteran's low back disorder, diagnosed as degenerative disc disease (DDD), was not incurred in or aggravated by service and is not presumed to have been due to his military service. The Board found no medical evidence linking the current DDD to service.

The Veteran's service connection claims for hand disability, nervous condition (depressive disorder NOS with anxiety disorder NOS), and left knee strain have been granted. The claim for pancreatitis is considered 'unknown' as it is not addressed in the decision.,The Veteran's right hand disability and bilateral pes planus were reopened and granted service connection.

The Veteran is found not competent to handle his VA benefits due to ongoing psychiatric and substance use issues, making him at risk of mismanaging funds.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied, and his claim to reopen asbestosis was not reopened. His psychiatric disability and COPD were found not related to service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss, breathing problems, and acid reflux. The claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder to include PTSD was also denied as new and material evidence had not been received.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings are being remanded to obtain updated VA treatment records and to schedule him for new VA examinations to address the current nature and severity of his service-connected acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, depression, and anxiety, and his service-connected thoracolumbar degenerative disc disease.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining relevant treatment records and arranging an examination by a mental examiner to assess whether the Veteran's PTSD is linked to any of her reported stressors or if any acquired mental disorder other than PTSD is etiologically related to her active service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to clarify whether he wants a Board hearing conducted by video conference or in person at the RO in Detroit, Michigan. The claims will be returned to the Board after the requested hearing.

The Veteran's appeal involves his service connection claim for an acquired psychiatric disability and a request for an initial compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss. The Board has determined that further development is needed, including obtaining medical opinions regarding the relationship between any current psychiatric condition and active duty service, as well as scheduling VA examinations to assess the severity of his hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and an opinion regarding whether any of the diagnosed psychiatric disabilities at any point during the appeal period were clearly and unmistakably not aggravated by service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, GERD, and a rating in excess of 10 percent for his left knee disability.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including bipolar disorder. The issue of entitlement to a TDIU rating is remanded due to its inextricability with the grant of service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and to provide the Veteran with appropriate examinations for his claimed conditions.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder has been rated at 50 percent since August 2006, and the Board finds that it warrants a higher rating of 70 percent.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining inpatient clinical records from the U.S. Naval Hospital Roosevelt Roads and scheduling a VA examination to determine if the veteran's current conditions are related to his service.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals for the issues of whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen a claim of entitlement to service connection for a spine condition, entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric condition (including substance-induced mood disorder and depression), and entitlement to total disability rating based upon individual unemployability due to service connected disabilities (TDIU).

The Board has determined that further development is needed to address the Veteran's claims, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and arranging for medical examinations.

The Veteran's schizophrenia had its onset during active service and is therefore granted service connection.