Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2019

The Veteran's service personnel records indicate an in-service event and a change in behavior, and he has been diagnosed with a current psychiatric disorder. The Board finds a remand is necessary to afford the Veteran a VA examination and obtain an opinion on the nature and etiology of his psychiatric disorder.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, is related to his combat service and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claim for residuals of heat exhaustion was denied as there is no evidence of a current disability related to the in-service heat injury.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, was denied due to lack of credible supporting evidence that the claimed in-service stressor occurred.

The Veteran's claim for service connection has been reopened, and the Board is remanding both issues of right knee disability and acquired psychiatric disorder due to the need for additional medical opinions.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary to address the Veteran's claims for service connection due to outstanding VA treatment records and incomplete examination reports.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for neck condition, left eye condition, scars, left upper extremity radiculopathy, and chronic acquired psychiatric condition are not supported by sufficient evidence in the record. The Board has ordered VA to attempt to obtain relevant private treatment records from Mission Hospital and Camino Health Center.

The Veteran's claim for PTSD was denied, while his claim for schizophrenia was granted.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, is related to his military service. The VA examiner needs to provide an opinion on whether the pre-existing condition worsened during service or if it had its onset during service.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of service connection for major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder due to clear and unmistakable error (CUE) in the July 1993 rating decision is granted, with the effective date set at September 8, 1992.

The Board denied service connection for an enlarged prostate, lung cancer, and a skin rash. The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is remanded.,Service connection for lung cancer, a skin rash, and an acquired psychiatric disorder are remanded due to the need for additional medical examination.

The Board has granted service connection for right ear hearing loss and chronic sinusitis, to include associated headaches. The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for tinnitus was denied as it is already at the maximum schedular rating. The remaining issues are remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for pulmonary hypertension was denied in November 2008, but new and material evidence was received after the one-year deadline. The claim is reopened.,Service connection for hypertension was granted secondary to diabetes mellitus II (DM II), effective January 10, 2017.,Service connection for ED was granted secondary to DM II, effective March 5, 2012. SMC based on loss of use of a creative organ is also effective from this date.,SMC based on housebound criteria was not granted earlier than January 10, 2017 due to the Veteran's disability status at that time.,Service connection for prostate cancer or prostate disability has not been established by evidence in the record.,Left ear hearing loss is rated as level IV.,Tinnitus remains rated at 10 percent since August 20, 2007.,CAD was not rated higher than 10 percent prior to January 10, 2017 due to its severity and other service-connected conditions.,Hypertension is treated with medication but does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.,ED remains rated at 30 percent since March 5, 2012.,Psychiatric disorder continues to be rated as having occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient medical opinions and conflicting evidence in some cases. The issues of entitlement to service connection for various disabilities are being returned to the RO for further development.

The Veteran's sinusitis is not manifested by incapacitating episodes or three to six non-incapacitating episodes per year characterized by headaches, pain, and purulent discharge or crusting.,The Board has expanded the scope of the Veteran’s claims to encompass any diagnosis raised by the record. The matter is REMANDED for further development as described above.,Entitlement to service connection for a lung disability is remanded due to lack of medical opinion addressing causation related to service, Gulf War exposure, or undiagnosed illness.,The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability (including anxiety, depression, and PTSD) is remanded due to the need for further development as described above.,Entitlement to an initial compensable rating for sinusitis is denied.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination, including obtaining VA treatment records from October 2016 to present, scheduling a VA examination by an appropriate clinician to determine the current severity of the Veteran's service-connected lung cancer and its residuals (if any), and sending the Veteran and his representative a statement of the case addressing the issues of entitlement to an earlier effective date for lung cancer and special monthly compensation at the housebound rate from May 1, 2016 onwards.

The Veteran's increased evaluation for his psychiatric disability is being remanded due to the need for a new examination as the last one was conducted nearly five years ago.

The claim of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, and PTSD is granted. The issue of a rating in excess of 10 percent for gastritis is remanded.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient development of evidence regarding a verified in-service stressor and for a VA psychiatric examination.

The Board denied service connection for low back and bilateral foot disabilities, hepatitis A/B, and a psychiatric disorder. The claim for hepatitis A/B was reopened but the service connection remains denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a bilateral eye disability due to disease or injury in service.,The evidence does not show a diagnosis of tinnitus during service or for many years thereafter, and is unrelated to active military service.