Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2021

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, headaches, a psychiatric disorder (depressive disorder), fatigue and feeling winded and/or out of breath, sinusitis, left eye disability, and right eye disability.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination, including obtaining updated medical records and arranging for a VA clinician to provide opinions on whether the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder and hairy cell leukemia are related to his service.

The Veteran's claims for hypertension, low back disability, and erectile dysfunction have been reopened due to new and material evidence. The remaining issues are being remanded for further development.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, has been dismissed due to the death of the appellant.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, previously claimed as PTSD and major depression, has been reopened due to the submission of new evidence. The case is remanded for a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any current psychiatric disorders.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to an inadequate medical opinion, and now needs a new examination or opinion to determine if the Veteran's mental health conditions are related to their service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been denied as there is no evidence of in-service incurrence or continuity of symptomatology for the claimed conditions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a shrapnel wound to the low back has been reopened and is granted.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a shrapnel wound to the upper back was denied.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and has remanded the remaining issues due to lack of STRs and need for further examinations.

The Board has denied service connection for a cervical spine disorder and remanded the issues of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD and depression) and hypertension. The neck condition is not related to service, while there is evidence suggesting a possible link between the psychiatric disorders and service exposure.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death during the pendency of the appeal. The issues were entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, skeletal arthritis, and seizures.

The Board has dismissed all appeals regarding the Veteran's claims for service connection and ratings, as well as his request for a TDIU due to the death of the Veteran.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD has been reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. The case is being remanded for further examination and potential verification of stressors.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including her acquired psychiatric disorder and physical conditions such as headaches, foot disorders, knee disorders, and ear drum disorder, rendered her unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation consistent with her education and work history as of July 12, 1996. As a result, the Board granted a TDIU effective from that date.

The Veteran's gastrointestinal disability is granted as service connected. The lumbar spine and left knee disabilities are remanded for further examination and opinion. The right knee disability and acquired psychiatric disability (PTSD based on MST) are also remanded.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed in both the Veteran's claims for an acquired psychiatric disorder and PTSD, as the current evidence does not provide sufficient information to determine if these conditions are related to his service. The VA examinations conducted did not address all aspects of the claims, particularly regarding the stressors claimed by the Veteran.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to incomplete VA examinations.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's appeal for TDIU and SMC benefits due to incomplete information regarding his disability retirement and need for aid and assistance. The AOJ is instructed to obtain relevant SSA records, contact the entity providing him with disability retirement benefits, and refer the issue of entitlement to a TDIU on an extraschedular basis prior to October 25, 2017, to the VA Undersecretary for Benefits or the AOJ’s Director of Compensation Service.

The Board has denied service connection for sleep disorders other than obstructive sleep apnea and back conditions, but has remanded the issues of service connection for psychiatric disorders due to lack of substantial compliance with previous remand directives.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD and related conditions was denied in October 1982, but reopened on March 6, 2014. The effective date of the award is set back to March 6, 2014.