Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2016

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and further development is needed.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's lumbar degenerative disc disease and acquired psychiatric disorder were not incurred or aggravated by service. The claim for residuals of spinal meningitis was reopened, but denied as new evidence did not establish a diagnosis in service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's low back disability is service-connected, as it was caused by trauma sustained during his military service. The psychiatric disorder claim remains pending.

The case is REMANDED to the Agency of Original Jurisdiction (AOJ) for further development and readjudication. The Veteran needs a VA psychiatric examination to determine if he has PTSD, its etiology, and whether any other acquired psychiatric disorder had its onset during service or is otherwise related to service.

The Board found that the Veteran's report of his alleged in-service stressor was not credible and that there is no evidence showing an acquired psychiatric disorder manifested within one year of service discharge or being causally related to military service, including his alleged in-service sexual assault.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development and examination, including obtaining medical records from SSA and a VA examination.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death during the pendency of the appeal.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD, an acquired psychiatric disorder (other than PTSD), a cervical spine disorder, and vertigo. The TBI claim was also denied.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for PTSD and found new and material evidence to support it. The Veteran's current diagnoses of schizophrenia, mood disorder NOS, and depression are related to an in-service stressor.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, depression, and antisocial personality disorder has been reopened. The Board finds new and material evidence to support the reopening of this claim.

The Board has remanded the case for a VA psychiatric examination at the Lexington, Kentucky VA medical facility. The Veteran's claims will be reconsidered based on the results of this examination.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death. The Board does not have jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this appeal as he has passed away.

The Veteran's scars from a bilateral mammectomy are currently rated as 50 percent under Diagnostic Code 7626, effective since July 2014. The psychiatric disorder issue is being remanded for further development.

The Veteran's appeal was denied for a compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss. The Board found that the evidence did not warrant a schedular rating higher than noncompensable.

The Veteran's psychiatric disability with polysubstance dependence resulted in occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas prior to October 11, 2007.,The Veteran is also entitled to a TDIU for the period prior to September 12, 2012.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have PTSD and therefore, service connection for this condition is denied. The remaining issues of entitlement to service connection for hypertension, low back injury, vertigo, and an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD are also denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD) were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of current disabilities related to these conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a low back condition has been reopened and is now pending before the Board.,Her claim for service connection for psychiatric disability (claimed as depression) has also been reopened. The Board finds that she has PTSD related to her service.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and granted it as secondary to a service-connected disability. Service connection is also granted for diabetes mellitus type II due to herbicide exposure during service, effective from September 1972 when the Veteran visited Vietnam. The right leg disability is not separately service connected.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded to obtain additional VA treatment records and to schedule the Veteran for appropriate VA examinations concerning his claimed conditions: allergies, chronic migraines due to head trauma, and a psychiatric disorder.