Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2018

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, diabetes mellitus type II, neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, impotency, and acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD), all for accrued benefits purposes. The decision found no current disabilities or evidence of in-service exposure to herbicides.

The Board found that the Veteran filed a timely Notice of Disagreement (NOD) regarding seven service connection claims, and thus remanded these issues for further action.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and opinions. The issues include bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, shin splints, shoulder disorders, frostbite, psychiatric conditions, traumatic brain injury, headaches, wrist, hip, ankle, knee, elbow, little finger, plantar fasciitis, joint pain, back pain, neck pain, erectile dysfunction, sleep apnea, skin disorder, and eye problems.

The Veteran's appeal includes multiple issues related to service connection for various conditions. The Board has remanded these cases due to the need for further development, including obtaining SSA records.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of his acquired psychiatric disorders and polysubstance dependence. The VA is instructed to obtain updated treatment records, schedule an examination, and provide addendum opinions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include schizophrenia, is reopened. However, the issue of entitlement to service connection remains pending and requires further development.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability and a rating in excess of 20 percent for his left wrist disability. The appeal regarding TDIU is also denied.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension, diabetes mellitus type II, a liver disorder, an acquired psychiatric disorder (including as secondary to the service-connected knee disabilities), and pes planus. The decision found that these conditions were not incurred or aggravated by military service.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and remanded the issue of service connection for a psychiatric disorder (claimed as schizophrenia). The claim for bilateral hearing loss is denied due to lack of evidence linking current hearing loss to service. For the psychiatric disorder, additional VA treatment records are needed and a VA examination should be scheduled.

An increased evaluation of 70 percent for schizophrenia, paranoid type is granted effective August 23, 2006. The issue of entitlement to a total disability due to individual unemployability (TDIU) related to service-connected schizophrenia prior to March 22, 2012, is also addressed and granted.

The Veteran's hypertension is denied as there is no evidence of service connection or a compensable degree within the presumptive period. The initial rating for left foot hammertoes and right foot surgical scars are granted at 10 percent, while the initial rating for left foot surgical scars is also granted at 10 percent. The acquired psychiatric disorder is rated at 70 percent.

The claim to reopen the previously denied service connection for a bilateral eye condition was denied as no new and material evidence was received.,The claim to reopen the previously denied service connection for hypertension was denied as no new and material evidence was received.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, manifested by stress and anxiety attacks. The evidence shows that she suffered from anxiety during her military service and continues to experience symptoms related to this condition post-service. Service connection is granted based on continuity of symptomatology.

The Board denied the claims of service connection for diabetes mellitus, pes planus, paranoid schizophrenia, residuals of a back injury, and frostbite. The claim for diabetes mellitus was reopened but not granted as there is no evidence linking it to service.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, diagnosed as PTSD and depressive disorder. The Veteran's PTSD and depressive disorder are found to be related to military sexual trauma during basic training.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD), sleep apnea, right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy. The evidence did not support a finding that any of these conditions were related to service or exposure to herbicide agents.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current psychiatric condition, diagnosed as schizophrenia, schizotypal personality disorder, or schizoaffective disorder, had its initial onset during service and grants service connection for an acquired psychiatric condition.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include anxiety disorder and depressive disorder, have been denied as there is no evidence of a current disability or a link between the claimed conditions and service.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and need for further examination.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection for chronic headaches and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to new evidence being added to her file, and because VA examinations are needed.