Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2020

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for various conditions, including right and left leg conditions, neuropathy, an acquired psychiatric disorder (depression and anxiety), hypertension, and a heart condition. The VA is directed to obtain medical records from the South Carolina Department of Corrections and schedule the Veteran for VA examinations to address the nature and etiology of his claimed disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case due to a missed VA examination and will schedule the Veteran for a new examination to determine if his acquired psychiatric disorder is related to service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disability and its impact on his employability prior to January 15, 2014.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened and are now pending. The Board has found new and material evidence to support the reopening of his claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, anxiety disorder; however, no new or material evidence was found to reopen his claims for hypertension, post-operative abdominal injury, diabetes mellitus, type II, and right hip scar (residual of a gunshot wound).

The Board has granted service connection for residuals of a head injury, including dementia/brain disease, and an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and depression. The decision is based on the Veteran's reported in-service injuries and stressors, as well as competent medical opinions linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has decided the claim is remanded due to inadequate examination and failure to comply with prior remand directives.

The Board has remanded the claims for further development and review. The Veteran's respiratory disorder is not shown to be causally or etiologically related to any disease, injury, or incident during service. Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD) is also remanded.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to incomplete development and requests additional information from a VA examiner regarding whether any acquired psychiatric disorder existed prior to service, if so, whether it was aggravated by service, and if related to an in-service injury or event.

The appeal for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability (other than PTSD) is dismissed.,The appeals for service connection for a blood clot in the lung and for effective dates earlier than September 12, 2013, for prostate cancer and July 25, 2012, for bilateral hearing loss are dismissed.,An 80 percent rating for bilateral hearing loss is granted as of February 27, 2014.

The Board has withdrawn the Veteran's claim for service connection for asbestosis and remanded his claims for diabetes mellitus, fungal infection of the hands, and an acquired psychiatric disorder. The claims are being remanded to obtain additional medical opinions.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding whether the Veteran's sleep apnea is secondary to his service-connected acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service-connected due to in-service noise exposure. However, his bilateral hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a disability under VA regulations.,The Board has found that there was no substantial compliance with prior remand directives regarding joint conditions and vertigo.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's claimed conditions and their relationship to his military service.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's lumbar spine disorder and acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD) claims should be remanded for further development.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary before the claim can be decided due to conflicting VA examinations and the Veteran's lack of formal mental health treatment. The case is remanded for a new VA examination.

The Board dismissed the claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for postoperative residuals of December 1999 lumbar surgery.,The Board granted service connection for PTSD, finding that personal assault or harassment during service caused the condition.

The Veteran's service records do not show any complaints or diagnoses related to tinnitus, erectile dysfunction, low testosterone level, a neurological disability, or an acquired psychiatric disorder. The Board found the evidence insufficient to establish these conditions as being incurred in or aggravated by his military service.,There is no credible evidence linking the Veteran’s current conditions of tinnitus, erectile dysfunction, low testosterone level, a neurological disability, and/or an acquired psychiatric disorder to his active duty service.

The Veteran's right and left lower extremity sciatic nerve radicular pain or paresthesia, as well as his neurogenic erectile dysfunction (ED), are considered secondary to his low back disability. The Veteran is currently rated at the minimum evaluation for an individual with a history of diastolic pressure predominantly 100 or more who requires continuous medication for control.

The Veteran's petition to reopen his claim for service connection for chronic sinusitis was denied. Claims for service connection for ischemic heart disease, a chronic disability manifested by hemoccult positive stools, an acquired psychiatric disability (likely PTSD), and chronic insomnia were also denied.

The Veteran was granted TDIU for the period prior to October 2, 1978 due to his service-connected acquired psychiatric disorder.,There is no clear and unmistakable error in the reduction of the rating from 100% to 50%, as the RO considered the evidence and made a factual determination.