Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2019

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability, specifically panic disorder with agoraphobia, was not incurred or aggravated during his military service and is not related to any in-service events. As a result, the claim for service connection is denied.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and generalized anxiety disorder, was granted. The initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss prior to June 27, 2016, is denied. The claim for a higher rating than 30 percent from November 1, 1993 to March 25, 2010 for ischemic heart disease was also denied. The TDIU claim is remanded.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for left foot disorder, GERD, right lower extremity nerve disorder, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and an acquired psychiatric disorder as there is no evidence of a direct relationship between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 40 percent for his lumbar spine disability is denied. The Board has also remanded the issues of service connection for PTSD, an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, and an abdominal disability to allow for further development.

The Veteran's death was not caused by military service or a service-connected disability, and therefore his cause of death is not eligible for service connection.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for a back disability, sleep apnea, and an acquired psychiatric disorder is remanded due to the need for additional development regarding his National Guard service.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for a low back disability and bilateral ankle disability due to new evidence received since the January 2014 decision.,Service connection is granted for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and MDD.

The claim of service connection for schizophrenia is granted, while the claims for back condition, cervical condition, tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, and sinusitis are dismissed. The issue of left foot condition was withdrawn by the Veteran.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for service connection for right lower extremity radiculopathy, left lower extremity radiculopathy, right upper extremity disability (numbness and tingling in fingertips), and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to conflicting evidence regarding their diagnoses and a need for further examination.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for further development due to incomplete information and inextricably intertwined issues.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that her post-service psychiatric disorders were not caused or aggravated by her service-connected frontal meningiomas.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's claimed acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD. The Veteran was not provided with a proper VA examination and his attempts to contact him have been unsuccessful.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus, right knee disorder, and acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD), finding that these conditions had their onset during service. Service connection was denied for the left knee disorder due to lack of evidence showing a chronic condition in or since service.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, but has remanded the claims for an acquired psychiatric disorder, a chronic sleep disorder, and migraines due to lack of evidence establishing their onset or relationship to service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied as there was no evidence of a current disability or a link to service. The Board found that the Veteran did not have right ear hearing loss, hypertension, vision condition (due to refractive error), psychiatric condition, cervical spine condition, left shoulder condition, or right shoulder condition during his military service.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for a neck disability, an acquired psychiatric disability (anxiety, adjustment disorder, depression, and PTSD), GERD, and sleep apnea due to inextricably intertwined issues. The Veteran's claim for an acquired psychiatric condition could significantly impact decisions on his secondary service connection claims for GERD and sleep apnea.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim of service connection for a psychiatric disorder due to new and material evidence, but further examination is needed as she has not been provided with a VA examination.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for colon cancer, earlier effective dates for the grant of service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and left and right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and an earlier effective date for a 40% rating for bilateral hearing loss have been withdrawn.,The claim for reopening of a previously denied claim of service connection for asthma has been granted. The claim for reopening of a previously denied claim of service connection for a psychiatric disorder has also been granted.,Service connection for hypertension has been granted.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss resulted in no worse than Level I hearing impairment in each ear, resulting in a noncompensable rating.,The Veteran seeks service connection for various conditions including back disability (claimed as fibromyalgia), Gulf War Syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD). The Board finds that remand is necessary to obtain additional medical opinions and examinations.

The Board has ordered additional development to verify the appellant's status as the Veteran’s surviving spouse and to obtain a medical opinion regarding the cause of the Veteran's death.