Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2018

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims of service connection for a lumbar spine disability, peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities, psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and depression), and dementia are not supported by the evidence. The preponderance of the evidence is against these claims.

The Board found that the appellant's acquired psychiatric disorder and arteriosclerotic heart disease are not attributable to service, including ACDUTRA or INACDUTRA. The claims for service connection were denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical records, verify in-service stressors, and provide a VA examination for his right foot pain and psychiatric disorders. The TDIU claim will also be addressed.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death, and no issues related to service connection were addressed.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not meet the criteria for service connection for left ear hearing loss, right ear hearing loss, tinnitus, or a shoulder disability.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including scheduling a VA examination and providing proper notice to the Veteran regarding personal assault stressors. The claim will be adjudicated again after these steps are completed.

The Veteran's application for waiver of premiums for RH insurance was denied because his total disability did not begin after the date of his application or while the insurance was in force under premium-paying conditions.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining additional VA and private medical records, as well as service personnel records. The appellant's claims will be readjudicated based on the updated evidence.

The Board has ordered additional development due to incomplete records and an inadequate VA examination. The Veteran's hypertension and acquired psychiatric disability claims are being remanded for further action.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, skin lesions, stroke residuals, and hypertension are denied. The Board finds that the medical evidence does not support a current diagnosis of these conditions.,For the skin lesion claim, the VA examiner did not provide an opinion regarding whether any diagnosed condition is related to herbicide exposure.

The Board is remanding the case for additional development, including obtaining service treatment records and VA treatment records. The Veteran's claims will be adjudicated again based on this new evidence.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current vitiligo and left shin dermatitis were not manifest in service and are unrelated to service.,The Veteran's current psychiatric disability, including PTSD, was not manifest in service, is unrelated to service, and was not caused or aggravated by a service-connected disability.

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for schizophrenia and cervical spine disability, as well as his claim for TDIU, have been denied because he failed to report for scheduled VA examinations without good cause.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a left knee disability and depression are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and the retrieval of outstanding VA treatment records.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including investigating Private D.F.'s service record and scheduling a VA examination to assess the nature and etiology of any acquired psychiatric disorder present at any time since May 2010.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder. However, the Veteran's current acquired psychiatric disability was not incurred in-service and is not related to his active service. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were also not incurred in-service, are not related to his active service, and did not manifest within one year after separation from active service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability and arteriosclerotic heart disease, finding that there is no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction and microalbuminuria was denied. His claim for service connection for hypertension, as secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus, was not established. The issue of service connection for PTSD is addressed in the REMAND portion of this decision.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining SSA disability benefits records and VA treatment records.