Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2022

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied for various conditions, including PTSD, an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD (including dementia), diabetes mellitus type II, prostate cancer, hypertension, a heart disorder (coronary artery disease, status post stent placement), a circulatory disorder, bilateral eye disorders (right eye blindness, double vision in the left eye, cataracts), lumbar spine disorder, cervical spine disorder, right shoulder disorder, left shoulder disorder, peripheral neuropathy of each extremity, radiculopathy of each extremity, and myelomalacia. The Board found that there was no evidence to support these claims.,The Veteran's service connection claims were denied for PTSD, an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD (including dementia), diabetes mellitus type II, prostate cancer, hypertension, a heart disorder (coronary artery disease, status post stent placement), a circulatory disorder, bilateral eye disorders (right eye blindness, double vision in the left eye, cataracts), lumbar spine disorder, cervical spine disorder, right shoulder disorder, left shoulder disorder, peripheral neuropathy of each extremity, radiculopathy of each extremity, and myelomalacia.

The claim for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disorder has been reopened and is now pending. A new opinion is needed to determine the etiology of any diagnosed psychosis and depressive disorder.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and records review.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for further development and consideration. Specifically, a new medical opinion is needed regarding the etiology of the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder(s).

The Board has ordered a remand due to insufficient verification of the Veteran's service periods, specifically ACDUTRA and INACDUTRA. The Veteran is seeking service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for a right knee disability, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD and adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood) has been dismissed. The Board found that the Veteran withdrew his appeals regarding these issues at his July 2022 Board hearing.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that there was no clear and unmistakable evidence of a pre-existing condition at enlistment or any aggravation during service. The Board also found insufficient medical evidence to establish a current disability related to service.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's service connection claim for a psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, needs further development and will be remanded. The VA is required to schedule the Veteran for an examination to determine if his current acquired psychiatric disabilities are related to his time in service.

The Veteran's sleep apnea is denied as there is no evidence of an in-service event, injury or disease and the weight of the evidence is against a finding that his current condition is related to service.,The Veteran's low back condition, heart condition, diabetes mellitus, bilateral lower extremity diabetic neuropathy, and acquired psychiatric disorder (major depressive disorder) are remanded as there is insufficient evidence regarding their etiology.

The Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus have been granted. The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability claim is remanded, as well as his initial rating for psoriasis and total disability rating due to individual unemployability.,Service connection has been established for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus based on the presumption of soundness at entry into service.

The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings and earlier effective dates for obstructive sleep apnea, migraine headaches, and duodenal ulcer have been dismissed. The appeal for an increased rating of his acquired psychiatric disorder (adjustment disorder with anxiety and depression) is remanded.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, other than PTSD; a low back condition, and a left leg disability. The Board found that there was no evidence of a link between these conditions and the Veteran's active military service.

The Veteran's application to reopen a claim of entitlement to service connection for a psychiatric disability has been granted. Service connection is also granted for tinnitus, but the claims for hearing loss, headache disability, COPD, eye disability, prostate disability, erectile dysfunction, skin disability, stomach disability, arthritis, bilateral foot disability, left hip disability, right hip disability, left knee disability, right knee disability, left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy, and right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy are remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining a VA Form 21-8940 from the Veteran and readjudicating the TDIU claim. The issues of service connection for GERD and TDIU are still pending.

The Board has determined that additional evidence is needed to fully and fairly consider the merits of the Veteran's claims, including obtaining treatment records and medical opinions.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including verifying the Veteran's reported in-service stressor and scheduling a VA examination to determine if he meets the criteria for PTSD or another acquired psychiatric disorder related to service.

The Board has remanded the cases due to insufficient evidence and scheduling issues for VA examinations.

The Board has returned the case to the RO for further development and adjudication due to non-compliance with previous remand directives. The Veteran's claims for increased disability ratings for TBI residuals, including psychiatric residuals, and for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability are being remanded.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to non-compliance with previous remand directives and incomplete service treatment records. The case will be returned for further development.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient compliance with previous remand directives, particularly regarding verification of in-service stressors and obtaining relevant service records.