Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2017

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have service connection for a left knee disability, low back disability, or psychiatric disorder.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, to include depression. The evidence does not support a finding of service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran seeks service connection for various psychiatric, headache, insomnia and fatigue conditions. The Board finds that further examination is needed to address the nature and etiology of these claims.

The Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and TDIU are denied.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and providing a VA examination to address the Veteran's claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than 'other trauma and stressor related disorder'. The issue of entitlement to a total disability evaluation based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities is also remanded.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder is rated at 50 percent disabling from June 11, 2012. Her left wrist DJD remains at a 10 percent rating.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, is being remanded due to the need for further examination and opinion regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder is found to be causally and etiologically linked to his active service. The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to engage and retain substantially gainful employment, warranting a TDIU.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, finding that there was no credible supporting evidence of a stressor and thus no diagnosis of PTSD. The Veteran has been diagnosed with other conditions such as major depressive disorder, adjustment disorder, bipolar disorder, alcohol dependence, malingering, and schizophrenia, none of which are linked to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, thus granting TDIU. The right knee disability and acquired psychiatric disorder are not service connected.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, a right hand disorder, and a skin disorder are denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of a linkage between any current conditions and service.

The Board finds that the Veteran does not have a distinct acquired psychiatric disorder separate from his service-connected PTSD, and thus denies a separate compensable rating for an acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD and insomnia, is being remanded due to the need for additional development such as obtaining VA treatment records and a psychological examination. The examiner will determine if his reported symptoms are related to his military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for schizophrenia was received on March 15, 2016. The Board found that the effective date should be March 15, 2016, as this is the earliest possible effective date given the most recent final denial in September 1999 and no claims filed between then and March 15, 2016.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to issues related to service connection and TDIU. The claims will be reconsidered after the requested information is obtained.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining a VA examination and addendum opinion to determine the etiology of the Veteran's right and left knee disabilities and whether his acquired psychiatric disorder is related to service. The claims are currently in remand status.

The appeal is currently in a remanded status due to the need for additional development and adjudication of an intertwined issue regarding service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder. The TDIU claim remains pending.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of PTSD related to service, and there is insufficient evidence to establish a link between his current psychiatric symptoms and service. The claims for prostate condition and sleep apnea are also denied.

The Board has granted a 50% rating for migraine headaches, effective from November 15, 2011. The Veteran is also found to be unemployable due to service-connected disabilities and thus entitled to a TDIU.

The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to incomplete medical opinions and inextricably intertwined TDIU claim.