Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2018

The Veteran's service-connected left arm carpal tunnel syndrome is granted on a secondary basis to his existing service-connected cervical spine disability. The rating for the left shoulder disability remains at 40 percent.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD due to insufficient information regarding his claimed stressors. The case is now pending further development and examination.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD. The VA needs to obtain additional records and conduct further examinations to determine if the Veteran meets the DSM-5 criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD and whether his current psychiatric disorders are related to his active service.

The Board is remanding the issues of service connection for left and right groin disabilities, hypertension and headache disabilities (secondary to service-connected lumbosacral spondylosis and degenerative disk disease), right ankle disability, left ankle disability, acquired psychiatric disability, left leg disability, right leg disability, right knee disability, and neck disability.,Further development is needed for these issues.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for additional development and medical opinion regarding service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Veteran's petition to reopen claims of service connection for PTSD and hypertension is granted. The cases are remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the cases due to insufficient evidence for service connection of various conditions, including hypertension, a left-hand condition, sleep apnea, headaches, and an acquired psychiatric disorder. The Veteran will need to provide updated medical records and undergo examinations to support his claims.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for PTSD is granted, and the issue of service connection for a left arm disorder is remanded.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for a heart disorder, sleep disorder, and hypertension due to new evidence. However, it denied reopening of the claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus as well as service connection for headaches, diabetes mellitus, COPD, and chronic kidney disease.

The claim has been reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. The appeal is granted for service connection for a back disorder, but the other issues remain remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, high cholesterol, chronic conjunctivitis, and psychiatric disabilities were denied. The Veteran was granted increased ratings for his lumbar spine disability, painful limited motion of the right knee, instability of the right knee, plantar fasciitis of the right foot, and plantar fasciitis of the left foot before specific dates. Other claims for service connection or increased ratings were remanded.

The Veteran is granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, specifically bipolar II disorder and unspecified anxiety disorder.,Service connection is also granted for headaches.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left ear hearing loss, right ear hearing loss, and tinnitus. The claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder to include PTSD is remanded due to insufficient evidence in the current record.

The Board has granted an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for PTSD, but the rating assigned must be determined first. The TDIU claim is also remanded as it may impact the effective date for the PTSD.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for a psychiatric disorder and an increased rating for chronic laryngitis require additional development due to new evidence, need for a VA examination, and need to obtain private medical records.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and requires additional examinations. The Veteran's left knee disability is not service connected, his acquired psychiatric disability (including anxiety and depression) may be related to service, and obstructive sleep apnea may also have a service origin.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim to reopen her service connection for hypertension as secondary to her service-connected degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine and acquired psychiatric disorder. The evidence presented is in equipoise, with a positive nexus opinion from Dr. P., who opined that the Veteran’s hypertension was more likely than not caused by her service-connected disabilities.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder to include PTSD and depression as secondary to service-connected disabilities. Service connection was denied for hypertension, headache disorder, and bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete records and the need for additional VA examinations.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings due to incomplete development, including obtaining VA treatment records, Social Security Administration (SSA) disability benefits determinations, and an addendum opinion on the etiology of her left thumb disability. The effective date issue is also being addressed.