Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2018

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus. The appeals for bilateral hearing loss, psychiatric disorder, diabetes mellitus, and peripheral neuropathy are remanded.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for schizophrenia has been reopened. The appeal regarding the eye disability is remanded.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and to obtain medical opinions regarding the Veteran's PTSD diagnosis and service connection.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD has been granted. The petition to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for acquired psychiatric disability, including schizophrenia, manic depression, and anxiety disorder, is also granted.

The Board has denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and remanded the claim of residuals of lung cancer due to asbestos exposure. The TDIU issue is also being remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with the pending claims.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, bilateral knee disability, acute lumbar strain and degenerative disc disease, and bilateral upper and lower back teeth due to insufficient evidence. The Veteran's lay statements regarding in-service stressors and continuity of symptomology will be considered.

The Veteran's cervical spine disability, including DDD and herniated disc, is granted as service connected.,His bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy and right CTS are also granted as secondary to his service-connected cervical spine disability.,Service connection for MDD is granted.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to insufficient evidence regarding service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder, and depression. The Veteran's claims for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and toenail fungus are denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including back injury, heart disability, acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and schizophrenia), head injury, and bilateral foot disability. The decision also remanded several issues.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 40 percent for herniated nucleus pulposus has been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not show ankylosis or unfavorable ankylosis, and thus no higher rating is warranted.,Service connection for liver disorder was denied as there was no indication of any in-service event, injury, or disease related to this condition.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for heart disease and an acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD) are denied. The Board found no current diagnosis of ischemic heart disease or PTSD, and the evidence did not support a finding that the claimed stressors occurred during service.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of February 16, 1989 for the grant of service connection for PTSD was denied. The Board found no clear and unmistakable error (CUE) in the June 1989 rating decision that initially denied service connection due to lack of evidence linking the Veteran's diagnosed conditions post-service discharge to service. An effective date prior to March 29, 1999 for the grant of service connection was also denied.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a low back disorder and a psychiatric disorder, both secondary to service-connected bilateral pes planus. The Veteran needs to undergo VA examinations to determine if these conditions are related to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for additional development due to lack of substantial compliance with prior remand orders, including scheduling VA examinations.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a sleep disorder is denied as there is no competent evidence linking the condition to his active service.,Service connection for hypertension is also denied because it did not manifest during or within one year after service and is unrelated to service. The Veteran was diagnosed with hypertension in November 2012, many years post-service.,The claim for kidney failure is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability related to the condition. Proteinuria alone does not constitute a compensable disability for VA purposes.,High cholesterol is not considered a disability for VA compensation purposes and thus service connection cannot be granted.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is reopened due to new evidence submitted since the last denial in February 1975, but remains denied as there is no evidence of such condition during or related to service.

The Veteran's death was caused by cirrhosis of the liver, which is secondary to his service-connected back disability and acquired psychiatric disorder. Service connection for a liver disability, low back disability, right lower extremity sciatica, left lower extremity sciatica, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (depression) has been granted.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, but remands it for further development and opinion regarding service connection.

The Board denied service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, chronic laryngitis, and an acquired psychiatric disability (including PTSD and depression), finding that the evidence did not support a link between these conditions and the Veteran's military service or exposure to toxic contaminants.

The Veteran's claim for a tailbone fracture, left foot disorder, right foot disorder, and acquired psychiatric disorder was denied. The effective date of the award for lumbar myofascial syndrome is set at September 10, 2012.

The Veteran's claims for service connection of various conditions, including recurrent lumbar spine disorder, left hip disorder, right knee disorder, psychiatric disorder to include a not otherwise specified depressive disorder, and recurrent sleep disorder have been denied. The issues related to these conditions are being remanded for further evaluation.