Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2021

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, hypertension, and exophytic cyst of the right kidney has been granted. The effective date is not specified as it is the earliest possible.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, finding that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's psychosis first manifested within the first post-service year and is presumptively related to service.

The Board has remanded the case due to VA's failure to obtain the Veteran’s SSA records and private treatment records. The Veteran claims her acquired psychiatric condition is related to service, including her former husband's assault and battery on March AFB and/or sexual dysfunction resulting from her in-service pregnancy. The Board finds that a VA examination and medical opinion are warranted.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, other than PTSD. The Veteran was found not to have a current diagnosis of such a condition and his VA examiner concluded that any diagnosed conditions are related to his service-connected PTSD.

The Veteran's schizophrenia prior to August 29, 2009, was productive of no more than definite impairment of social and industrial adaptability. The Board denied a rating in excess of 30 percent for the condition.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, right upper extremity neuropathy, and left upper extremity neuropathy. The acquired psychiatric disorder is presumed to be related to the Veteran's in-service experiences and his other service-connected disabilities. Right and left upper extremity neuropathies are found to be secondary to diabetes mellitus.

The Board has remanded the cases due to insufficient evidence for service connection of various conditions, including cervical spine disorder, lumbar spine disorder, right knee disorder, and acquired psychiatric disorders. The Veteran needs to provide private treatment records related to these conditions.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for an addendum opinion from the September 2020 VA examiner regarding any diagnosed acquired psychiatric disability and its relation to service.

The Board has granted a 70 percent rating for the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder prior to January 10, 2020. However, it denied an increased rating in excess of 70 percent and remanded the left hip condition claim.

The Board has ordered the case to be remanded due to incomplete development and for further examination. The Veteran's claim will be reconsidered with updated medical records and a new in-person VA examination.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for PTSD and depression secondary to tinnitus is dismissed. The claim of service connection for a right thigh condition is remanded.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate opinions regarding service connection for a psychiatric disability, including PTSD. The Veteran is required to undergo another VA examination and provide new opinions on direct and secondary service connection.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for psychiatric disorders and a sleep disorder due to inadequate examination reports in prior decisions. The cases are now required to be reviewed with new VA examinations.

The Veteran was found unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation due to his service-connected psychiatric disorder from October 11, 2011, to April 24, 2017.

The Board has determined that there has not been substantial compliance with the prior remand directives and therefore, another remand is required for further development of the Veteran's service connection claims.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for otitis externa and tonsillitis were denied due to lack of new and material evidence. The claim for a nervous disorder (now characterized as an acquired psychiatric disorder) was reopened based on the submission of new and material evidence.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, anxiety, depression, memory loss, and posttraumatic stress disorder, is remanded.

The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral knee disability, hypertension, and PTSD due to a significant gap in treatment records between the Veteran's discharge from service and his death. The RO is instructed to make efforts to obtain missing medical records from Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) and other sources.

The Board dismissed the appeal due to the death of the appellant, and no service connection decisions were made.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD and an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, finding that the evidence did not support a current diagnosis of either condition or a link to active duty service.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric condition, including anxiety, depression, and PTSD. The Veteran testified that his health conditions caused his depression and anxiety.