Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2019

The Veteran's claim of service connection for seizures has been reopened, and the case is remanded to develop evidence related to his claimed stressor incident. The issue of whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen a claim of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability (including PTSD) is also remanded.

The Veteran's service connection for PTSD and depressive disorder was granted, with the latter being secondary to his service-connected back disorder.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to missing treatment records and lack of corroborating evidence for the Veteran's father's burn injury. The Veteran will need a VA psychiatric examination to determine if his acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, is related to service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including PTSD and anxiety, were denied. The Board found no new and material evidence to reopen the claim.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for recognition as a helpless child of the Veteran, finding that he was not permanently incapable of self-support prior to age 18 and had worked after his 18th birthday.

The petition to reopen claims for service connection for various conditions is granted. The cases are remanded for further development and examination.

The Board has remanded the claims for hypertension and an acquired psychiatric disorder to include PTSD and depression due to insufficient verification of the Veteran's claimed stressors. The claims will be reconsidered after multiple requests are made to verify these stressors.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and depression, finding that there is no indication in the record of any in-service event causing such a condition or suggesting a relationship to his honorable period of service.

The Veteran's cause of death was service-connected, and the appellant is granted DIC benefits. The claim for death pension benefits is dismissed as it is a moot issue due to the grant of DIC.

The Board has granted a waiver of recovery for the overpayment of Veterans Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP) education benefits in the amount of $3,076.27 due to financial hardship and undue financial hardship would result from repayment.

The Board has determined that there are missing, pertinent records that must be obtained prior to making an informed decision regarding the service connection claims. These records include VA outpatient records from December 2001 to 2015 and any private treatment records related to the Veteran's claimed disabilities, particularly those from Mercy Hospital in the early 2000s.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient medical opinions and missing records. The case will be returned to the AOJ for further development.

The Veteran's application to reopen his claim of service connection for a psychiatric disability, including PTSD, was denied due to lack of new and material evidence. His right lower extremity radiculopathy and left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy were also evaluated at 10% ratings, with the former being remanded for further examination.

The Veteran's psychiatric disorder other than PTSD (unspecified depressive disorder) and his erectile dysfunction are granted as secondary to service-connected conditions. His lumbar degenerative disc disease with spondylosis is also granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's currently-diagnosed schizophrenia had its onset during active service and is related to his military service, granting service connection for schizophrenia.

Service connection granted for Parkinson's Disease due to herbicide exposure in Vietnam.,Secondary service connection granted for Lewy body dementia related to the Veteran's Parkinson's disease.,Service connection granted for an acquired psychiatric condition, including PTSD and anxiety disorder, linked to combat experiences in Vietnam.,An initial evaluation of 70 percent disability assigned for bilateral hearing loss.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including peripheral neuropathy of various extremities and psychiatric conditions. The claims for increased ratings are also being remanded.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus, type II, is presumed to have been incurred during service due to herbicide exposure.,Service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities is granted as it is at least as likely as not caused by his diabetes mellitus.,Service connection for a sleep disorder and an acquired psychiatric disorder (anxiety and depression) are denied.,The Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II, is presumed to have been incurred during service due to herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for schizophrenia, PTSD, and various other conditions have been denied. The claim for joint pain, right knee condition, status post left leg fracture with pin placement, eye condition, sinusitis, acid reflux, hepatitis C, erectile dysfunction, enlarged prostate, and athlete’s foot has also been denied due to lack of evidence of in-service injury or disease.

The Board has referred the issue of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression, PTSD and schizophrenia to the RO for further action. The Veteran's claim is remanded due to incomplete medical records and a need for a VA examination.