Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2018

The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeal for service connection of a back disability and denied his claim for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD. The Board found that there was no credible evidence to support the Veteran's claimed in-service stressors and concluded that the preponderance of the evidence is against the claim.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability, diagnosed as major depressive disorder with psychotic and anxious distress features, is granted. Service connection for low white blood cell count is denied. The Board also remanded several issues including service connection for a prostate disorder, sinus disorder, and hypertension.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were granted for stomach condition and acquired psychiatric disorder, but denied for right foot condition. The decision also remanded the claim for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disorder due to a lack of verification of a claimed in-service stressor.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of a mental health disorder is being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination and opinion.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and an acquired psychiatric disorder were denied. The Board found no evidence of a nexus between the conditions and service, including any in-service exposure to herbicides or other potential causative factors.

The Board has granted service connection for low back disability and obstructive sleep apnea. The issues of bilateral pes planus, chronic fatigue syndrome, and an acquired psychiatric disorder are being remanded for further development.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a lack of substantial compliance with previous remands, and requires additional evidence regarding the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Board denied service connection for a low back disorder, bilateral knee disorders, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to the lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.,Service connection was not granted as there is no credible evidence showing that any current diagnoses are related to in-service injuries or events.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a videoconference hearing before a Veterans Law Judge.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a hearing disability related to his military service and tinnitus is not related to noise exposure in service. The claim for PTSD was remanded as there is insufficient evidence to decide the case.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for cervical spine disability, lumbar spine disability, psychiatric disorder (anxiety disorder NOS), and respiratory disorder due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service.,Service connection was not granted as the preponderance of the evidence showed that the current disabilities were not manifest in service or related to service.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's claimed PTSD and acquired psychiatric disorder. The Veteran needs to provide additional corroborating evidence of her in-service stressor, such as records from rape crisis counseling during active duty service. She also needs a VA examination to confirm her diagnoses and determine if they are related to service.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability (mood disorder NOS) as it is at least as likely as not related to the Veteran's in-service events, including convoy attacks while serving as a military policeman.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete verification of the Veteran's reported in-service stressor. Additional development is needed, including searching for morning reports and verifying the stressor incident.

The Veteran's claim for an evaluation in excess of 40 percent for his lumbar spine disability has been denied. The Board also found that some issues have been remanded, including service connection claims for a bilateral hip condition and an acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Veteran's appeal for an initial disability rating higher than 10 percent for bilateral hearing loss has been dismissed due to the Veteran withdrawing his appeal.,Service connection for xerostomia is granted, with the condition being proximately due to medication used for a service-connected acquired psychiatric disorder.,An initial rating of 70 percent is granted for an acquired psychiatric disorder throughout the period on appeal. The issue of TDIU is also addressed and found to be met.,The Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities is considered.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, is granted as incurred in service. Service connection for obstructive sleep apnea is also granted as secondary to the service-connected acquired psychiatric disability.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining mental health records and verifying the Veteran's in-service stressor. The claim will be reconsidered after these steps.

The Veteran's service was not during a recognized period of war, so he does not meet the requirements for nonservice-connected disability pension benefits.

The Board denied service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and an acquired psychiatric disorder (anxiety disorder) as the Veteran's current diagnoses are not related to his military service.