Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2017

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including verification of service periods and additional medical examinations to determine if hypertension and an acquired psychiatric disorder are related to military service.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to conflicting evidence regarding the existence of a current psychiatric disorder and the need for further examination. The Veteran's service records indicate he had symptoms related to depression or excessive worry, but no diagnosis was made during his service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and scheduling the Veteran for examinations to determine the nature of his service-connected disabilities and whether they are related to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's PTSD is service-connected as it arose from his in-service experience in Somalia.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an initial compensable rating for PFB and service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that his symptoms did not warrant a higher rating under applicable criteria and that there was no evidence of in-service stressors or service connection based on fear of hostile military activity.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including verifying in-service stressors and scheduling a VA psychiatric examination. The Veteran's claim will be reconsidered based on all evidence.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability did not originate in service or for years thereafter, and it is not otherwise etiologically related to service.

The Board has remanded the case for a new VA examination to consider the possibility of secondary service connection and for updated treatment records.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for COPD, varicose vein disorder, and memory loss disorder. The claim for acquired psychiatric disorder is granted.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a chronic headache disorder and an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that there is no evidence to support these conditions as being related to his active military service or any service-connected condition.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim to reopen his service connection for schizophrenia and has determined that it is at least as likely as not that his preexisting schizophrenia was aggravated by his active duty service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to obtain medical records and provide the requested opinions from the VA examiner.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and opinions regarding his bilateral hammertoes, back disorder, bilateral foot disorder other than hammertoes, tinnitus, gastrointestinal disorder, fatigue, sleep disorder, and acquired psychiatric disorder. The appeal will be returned to the AOJ after these issues have been addressed.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for bilateral hearing loss, but remanded for additional development on other issues.

The Veteran's claims for PTSD and an acquired psychiatric disorder were denied as there is no evidence of a diagnosed condition. The claim for service connection for basaloid squamous cell carcinoma of the left tonsil was also denied due to lack of in-service exposure or a link to service-connected lung cancer.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining a VA examination and medical opinion regarding her service-connected chronic left-sided submandibular adenitis and acquired psychiatric condition.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and evaluation, including obtaining additional medical opinions regarding the Veteran's psychiatric conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed conditions, including bilateral flat feet (pes planus), back disability, neck disability, and headaches, are not service-connected.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records and VA records.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a Board videoconference hearing to address his claim of entitlement to a total disability rating for individual unemployability due to the service-connected disabilities (TDIU).