Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2023

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and other trauma and stressor-related disorders, finding that his current condition is more likely than not related to his military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to the need for additional VA treatment records and examinations.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, based on the Veteran's reported in-service stressors and confirmed diagnosis by a VA psychologist.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including blurred vision, psychiatric disability, neck condition, left shoulder disability, nerve damage of the left upper extremity, dizziness, and headaches, due to lack of causation by VA care.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, diabetes mellitus, type II, and radiculopathy of the lower extremities, have precluded him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation since January 27, 2016. As such, TDIU is granted effective that date.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for rheumatoid arthritis. The case is remanded to obtain additional medical opinions regarding his claims of acquired psychiatric disorder and bilateral knee disorder.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, specifically PTSD, as there was no evidence of a current diagnosis and no in-service stressor that could be verified.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the submission of new evidence, and he is entitled to a full review by the AOJ.

The Board has remanded several claims for further development due to missing service records and the need for additional medical opinions. The Veteran's TBI, acquired psychiatric disorder, headache disability, prostate disability, gastrointestinal disability, cervical spine disability, right sacroiliac disability, left sacroiliac disability, radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, and radiculopathy of the left lower extremity are all under review.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and a lower back disorder due to additional development being necessary, including obtaining medical records and scheduling examinations.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's previously denied claims for service connection of a left eyebrow scar, right ear hearing loss disability, and low back disability due to new evidence submitted since the last final denial. The claims are remanded for further development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability (bipolar disorder) and alcohol abuse, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for schizophrenia, continuous, is being remanded due to the need for additional evidence and a VA examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for SMC based on need for aid and attendance or being housebound due to service-connected disabilities, as his conditions do not meet the legal criteria for payment at either rate.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a back disability, an acquired psychiatric disorder as secondary to a back disability, and alcoholism as secondary to a back disability due to lack of evidence supporting a nexus between his current disabilities and his in-service injuries or conditions.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's claims, including his scar claim, knee conditions, erectile dysfunction, and psychiatric disorder. The Veteran is also seeking service connection for a traumatic brain injury with headaches.

Service connection for left knee disability, including knee medial meniscal symptoms and degenerative joint disease, is granted as secondary to service-connected right total knee arthroplasty.,Service connection for PTSD and unspecified anxiety disorder is granted.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and anxiety is granted. The Board finds the evidence to be in approximate balance as to whether the Veteran's current psychiatric disorder is related to his military service.,The Veteran's claim of service connection for obstructive sleep apnea is granted. The private examiner opined that it was more likely than not secondary to his service-connected PTSD.

The Veteran's appeals for earlier effective dates for service connection and ratings have been denied.,Specifically, the Board found that no earlier effective date could be granted due to a July 6, 2017 auto-generated 'intent to file' form which did not preserve an effective date of July 6, 2017.

The Veteran's claims for specific phobia, acquired psychiatric disorder (to include depression and anxiety), left knee degenerative joint disease, bilateral hip condition as secondary to back disability, rating in excess of 20 percent for specific phobia, rating in excess of 10 percent for bilateral hearing loss, and TDIU due to service-connected disabilities are all granted. The effective date for the grant of service connection for specific phobia is set at December 27, 2015.