Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2019

The Board has dismissed all issues of service connection as the Veteran died during the appeal process.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for his service connection of chronic schizophrenia, undifferentiated type, awarded in 1985 is dismissed as the original decision became final.

The Veteran's right and left ankle disabilities, as well as her bilateral hearing loss disability are granted service connection. The psychiatric disability is remanded for further examination.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for additional medical records and a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's psychiatric disorder is related to his military service.

The petition to reopen a claim for service connection for PTSD is granted. Entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, is denied.

The Board denied the reinstatement of nonservice-connected pension benefits as of October 1, 2015 due to excessive income from VA disability compensation. The TDIU claim is also remanded for further consideration.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for left and right hip disabilities, as well as an acquired psychiatric disorder (other than PTSD), due to inadequate VA examination reports. The Veteran is required to provide additional evidence or undergo further examinations.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings and new/changed basis claims have been denied. His bilateral hearing loss is not compensably rated, his acquired psychiatric disorder claim has no current evidence of service connection, and his right shoulder, left shoulder, headaches, and respiratory condition claims are all denied.

The Veteran's claims for a compensable rating for status post hairline fracture of the left medial patella and a rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus have been dismissed.,The Veteran's applications to reopen his claims for service connection for right knee, right hip, left hip, and acquired psychiatric disabilities are granted. The claims for nerve condition, left wrist disability, right wrist disability, arthritis, lumbar spine disability, and cervical spine disability remain pending.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, claimed as PTSD, had its onset during service and is related to service. Service connection for this condition is granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have current diagnoses of a lumbar spine disorder or an acquired psychiatric disorder (including anxiety) related to his service. The claims are therefore denied.

The Veteran's appeal to reopen his claim for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disability has been granted. The Board has also remanded the cases for further development regarding heart and skin disabilities, as well as PTSD.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for lupus due to new and material evidence. The claims for kidney disease (secondary to lupus) and acquired psychiatric disorder (secondary to lupus) are also remanded as they are inextricably intertwined with the reopening of the lupus claim.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for bipolar disorder, paranoid schizophrenia, and mixed personality disorder (claimed as neurosis, posttraumatic stress disorder, stress, pressure, and abuse) due to a lack of persuasive medical opinion evidence linking these conditions to his military experiences.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability, radiculopathy of the lower extremities, and gastrointestinal disorder are all granted as service-connected. The claims for fibromyalgia and memory loss have been remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric stress disorder, to include PTSD, based on a current diagnosis and credible evidence of the in-service military sexual trauma (MST).

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to new and material evidence received. The left knee, gastrointestinal disorder, and sleep apnea claims are also being remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and disability ratings are being remanded due to the need to obtain additional documents related to his claims.,A Statement of the Case must be issued regarding the denial of service connection for prostate cancer residuals, a compensable rating for chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis, and a compensable rating for paranoid schizophrenia.

The Veteran's claims for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disorder, bilateral knee disorder, respiratory disorder, and hernia have been denied. The reduction in the disability rating for bilateral hearing loss from 40 percent to 20 percent as of October 1, 2017 was proper.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for further development due to missing private medical records and the need for VA examinations.