Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2020

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, unspecified depressive disorder, and unspecified anxiety disorder. The Veteran's depression is found to be secondary to his service-connected degenerative disc disease (DDD) and associated radiculopathy.

The Veteran's claims for rhabdomyolysis and bilateral hearing loss have been granted as new evidence has been submitted. The claim of service connection for left foot condition (claimed as bilateral foot condition) is denied due to lack of current diagnosis.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and major depressive disorder, has been granted.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD are being remanded due to the submission of new evidence. The claim for PTSD is remanded as there was a pre-decisional duty to assist error, while the claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD remains denied.

The Board has denied service connection for a left knee disability and an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that the evidence does not support current diagnoses or a link to service.

The Veteran's appeal to reopen his claim of service connection for a left knee disability is granted. The claims for psychiatric, right and left CTS, cervical spine, and low back disabilities are remanded due to the need for additional evidence or examination.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a left shoulder disability, an acquired psychiatric disability, and a heart disorder due to outstanding development being required.

The Board has vacated the June 13, 2019 decision and remanded several issues related to service connection for various conditions. The lumbar spine disorder claim is granted, but other claims are still pending.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for low back condition, Hepatitis C, and acquired psychiatric disorder due to a lack of adequate opinions from VA examiners. The examinations were not conducted as per the Board’s previous instructions.

The Board has remanded the TDIU claim due to inextricably intertwined issues, including a pending increased rating for service-connected psychiatric disorders and other disabilities with pending service connection claims.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's claims, including service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD), hypertension, tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, erectile dysfunction (secondary to an acquired psychiatric disability), left knee disability, and right hip disability. The claims are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and records.

The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss, left eye disorder, and psychiatric disorder are denied. The reduction in the disability rating for his psychiatric disorder is also denied. The Veteran's claim for TDIU is denied.

The Board has granted a grant of service connection for erectile dysfunction with an initial rating of 20 percent. The issue of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is remanded.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including anxiety disorder. The Veteran's tachycardia is not considered a separate disability warranting service connection. The coronary artery disease with bypass grafting remains rated at 30 percent. Other issues are remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are found to not meet the criteria for specially adapted housing or special home adaptation grant due to lack of a VA examination. The case is being remanded for such an evaluation.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to incomplete examinations and the need for additional medical records. The issues of service connection are being reviewed, as well as initial disability ratings.

The Board has found that the Veteran's notice of disagreement was timely received via facsimile on June 24, 2014. The appeal is now remanded for further development regarding whether new and material evidence was obtained to reopen service connection claims for various conditions.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is currently rated as noncompensable, and the Board finds no basis to grant a higher rating.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (depressive disorder with anxiety) has been granted. The Veteran was diagnosed with this condition during service and linked it to his combat exposure.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for right knee disability, tinnitus, acquired psychiatric disability (PTSD), and bilateral hearing loss due to incomplete information regarding the Veteran's military service.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The rating for the acquired psychiatric disorder was not higher than 70% prior to June 16, 2014, and the ratings for both left and right knee disabilities remain at 20%. Service connection for obstructive sleep apnea is also remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, but the Board finds that there is no evidence to support a finding of service connection for any of the claimed conditions.,VA examinations were inadequate and new VA examinations are required for both knees.