Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2020

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient detail provided by the Veteran regarding his in-service stressors, and an additional remand is required for verification.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of PTSD, but his acquired psychiatric disorder, unspecified insomnia disorder, is causally related to service. Therefore, he is granted service connection for this condition.

All issues related to service connection have been dismissed due to the Veteran's death.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's claims for service connection due to the granting of these conditions in a previous rating decision. The TDIU claim was granted.

The Board has granted service connection for an Other Specified Trauma and Stressor-Related Disorder (claimed as PTSD and MDD), finding that the Veteran's current condition is at least as likely as not related to his military service.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss, finding that his preexisting condition was not aggravated by military service.,The Board has also remanded the issue of increasing the rating for paranoid schizophrenia from September 1, 2000 to February 26, 2018.

The Veteran's claim for an increased disability rating in excess of 10 percent for bilateral hearing loss has been denied.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD and depression, is remanded due to unverified stressors.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD. The Veteran's knee injury and its residuals are also under review.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to exposure to environmental hazards during Gulf War service, including headaches/migraines, right foot disability, body rash, gastrointestinal disorder, joint pain (neck and other unspecified joints), bilateral hand disability (numbness in hands), sleep disturbances, memory loss, and an acquired psychiatric disorder. The Veteran is also remanded for a TDIU claim.

The Board has denied an increased rating for chronic sinusitis and remanded the service connection claim for acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that a new VA examination is needed to determine if it is at least as likely as not related to any service-connected disability.

The Veteran's petition to reopen his claims for service connection for PTSD, depression, and an unspecified anxiety disorder was granted.,The Veteran's petitions to reopen his claims for service connection for a cervical spine disorder and GERD were also granted.

The Board has remanded two issues: service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability and service connection for the residuals of mercury poisoning. Further development is needed to ensure that the decision on these claims is fully informed, including obtaining additional records from Walter Reed Medical Center and addressing previous diagnoses and potential exposure.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II and any acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, MDD, and anxiety disorder, due to incomplete/inaccurate factual premises regarding the Veteran's claimed active duty service in Vietnam. The claims are being returned for further development.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, sleep apnea, heart disability, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, type II, and neuropathies were denied as the evidence did not support a link to his active service or herbicide exposure.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD, depression, anxiety, and an adjustment disorder) due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to service. The Veteran's hearing loss was not shown to be related to service or aggravated by service, and her psychiatric disorders were found to have other origins.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including insomnia, anxiety, and depression, is not found to be secondary to his service-connected tinnitus. The Board denied the claim as there was no evidence showing that the Veteran’s sleep impairment was caused by or worsened by his service-connected tinnitus.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder is rated at 50 percent, which does not meet the criteria for a higher rating of 70 percent or more.

The Board denied service connection for a pulmonary disability and an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD and anxiety. The Veteran's pulmonary disability is considered to have pre-existed service, and there was no clear and unmistakable aggravation during service. For the acquired psychiatric disability, the claim cannot be substantiated as the stressor has not been verified.

The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, finding that the Veteran does not have a current disability of an acquired psychiatric disorder subject to service connection at any time proximate to his February 2007 claim.

The Board has granted a TDIU rating from August 26, 2005 due to the Veteran's service-connected acquired psychiatric disorder. The decision also considers prior periods of disability and finds that a TDIU was warranted from August 26, 2005.