Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2023

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, was granted. The Board found that the evidence supports a link between his in-service stressors and his current diagnosis of PTSD.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's low back condition. The claim for secondary service connection for an acquired psychiatric condition is remanded.

The Veteran's appeal is REMANDED for additional examinations and development of his claims, including service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and increased ratings for cervical and thoracolumbar spine conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to incomplete findings and inadequate rationales in previous VA examinations. The Veteran is required to undergo new VA examinations and obtain medical opinions regarding his claimed conditions.

The Veteran's PTSD is granted as service-connected. Bilateral hearing loss and OSA are denied.

The Veteran's petition to reopen his claim for PTSD was granted, and the claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (to include PTSD) is also granted. The decision acknowledges new evidence related to in-service stressors that supports a diagnosis of PTSD.

The Board has determined that further development is needed to address the Veteran's claims for service connection of OSA, including whether his service-connected disabilities cause or aggravate OSA and whether obesity is a substantial factor in causing OSA.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for a back disability due to new evidence showing current back disability related to in-service activities. Service connection was denied for right knee, left knee, and neck disabilities as no chronic symptoms were present during or shortly after service. The psychiatric disability is not considered secondary to the service-connected tinnitus.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for lung cancer, PTSD, and a skin disability was granted. The effective date for the award of service connection for lung cancer is set at July 17, 2017, when the Veteran filed his claim. Service connection was also established for PTSD but denied for a skin disability.

The Board has remanded the claims for COPD, joint pain, muscle fatigue and pains, dizziness with disorientation, psychiatric disorder, headaches, and diarrhea due to incomplete development and lack of recent medical records.

The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and unspecified anxiety disorder, based on the Veteran's in-service stressors of witnessing enemy missiles shot down while on guard duty and performing diagnostic tests on wounded civilians and enemy soldiers as an x-ray technician.

The Board has granted service connection for a left shoulder disability and an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and depression. The decision is based on the appellant's subjective complaints of pain and weakness during military service, as well as his current diagnoses.

The Board has granted service connection for schizophrenia, finding that the preexisting condition worsened during service and is presumed to have been incurred therein.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (claimed as PTSD) due to a lack of current diagnosis and no causal relationship between his claimed in-service stressors and his symptoms.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals on three issues: left ankle disability, acquired psychiatric disorder including PTSD, and degenerative arthritis of the spine. The Board dismissed these appeals as a result.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for tinnitus and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to the inability to schedule a VA examination at his current correctional institution. The Veteran is currently incarcerated, but there are alternative facilities available that could potentially conduct the necessary examinations.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss, a psychiatric disability including PTSD and depression, and ED have been remanded due to the need for additional development.,Specifically, the VA needs to verify in-service stressors related to the Veteran's psychiatric disability claim and obtain an addendum opinion regarding the etiology of his hearing loss.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including generalized anxiety disorder, depression, alcohol and polysubstance use disorder, and schizophrenia/psychosis. The decision also denies his eligibility for VA compensation benefits under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 due to right hip surgery and/or injections, as well as treatment for a right inguinal hernia.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, an initial compensable evaluation for bilateral hearing loss, and a TDIU were all denied. The decision found that the Veteran did not meet the schedular requirements for a TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a TDIU on an extraschedular basis prior to January 27, 2021, finding that his service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment.