Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2024

The Board has denied service connection for back, right shoulder, and left shoulder disabilities. The psychiatric disorder claim is remanded due to a duty to assist error.

The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error regarding Social Security Administration (SSA) records.

The Veteran's TDIU is based on a single disability (vertigo) and his ischemic heart disease, which was rated at 60 percent disabling prior to December 27, 2022. Therefore, the criteria for SMC housebound benefits are met and granted effective December 29, 2014.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's diagnosed psychiatric disabilities, including PTSD, depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, and substance use disorder, finding that these conditions are etiologically related to a personal assault during active service.

The Board has restored the Veteran's 10 percent rating for epididymitis and granted service connection for erectile dysfunction (ED). The decision is based on evidence showing that ED was caused by his service-connected epididymitis.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, muscle injury, left and right knee conditions are all granted service connection. The Veteran's PTSD is related to his in-service work as a mortuary affairs specialist. His muscle injury is related to the run during an Army Physical Fitness Test. However, his left and right knee conditions do not have sufficient evidence linking them to service.

The Veteran's claims are being remanded due to duty-to-assist errors and the need for additional medical examinations. The issues of service connection for various conditions, including right knee osteoarthritis, left knee condition, acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD), left hip condition, hearing loss, and cervical degenerative joint disease, will be reconsidered.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development to address his claims of service connection for a headache disability and an acquired psychiatric disability, including as residuals of TBI. The issues include determining whether these conditions are related to service-connected disabilities or other factors.

The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including psychiatric disorders, bilateral leg swelling, diabetes mellitus, right knee and ankle pain, left hip pain, chronic back pain, hypertension, headaches, and prostate cancer. The evidence did not support a finding that these conditions were related to service or the presumption of herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, MDD, and panic disorder, is rated at 70 percent since July 6, 2019. The other issues remain denied.

The Veteran's cervical scar claim is denied, and the psychiatric disorder claim is remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD, hypertension, right ear hearing loss, left ear hearing loss, headache disorder, and urinary problems/condition was denied. The case is REMANDED for further development.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for hypertension, atrial fibrillation, and diabetes mellitus, type II. The Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability to include PTSD and a right knee disability are denied due to lack of evidence supporting these conditions.

The Board has denied service connection for residuals of a traumatic brain injury, acquired psychiatric disorder, cervical spine disorder, seizure disorder, temporomandibular joint disorder, and facial trauma scar (claimed as lip scar) due to lack of credible evidence supporting the Veteran's claims.

The Board has remanded the claims for left shoulder impingement syndrome, left elbow condition, bilateral knee conditions, and right knee arthritis due to incomplete VA examinations. The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder is denied as not related to service or a service-connected disability.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development due to duty-to-assist errors. The Veteran's claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, back disability, and psychiatric disabilities are currently pending.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, specifically major depressive disorder, is proximately due to his service-connected disabilities and chronic pain associated with them. Therefore, the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is granted.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted with an effective date of December 22, 2017. The Board found that the Veteran was unemployable due to his service-connected acquired psychiatric disorder since prior to July 2019.

The Veteran was granted a TDIU effective March 25, 2022. The appeal is also for an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss, but the grant of this rating was not eligible for attorney fees as it was an initial decision.

The Board has remanded the case due to a pre-decisional error concerning VA's duty to assist in obtaining a VA mental disorder examination and opinion. Additional development is necessary to determine if the claimant incurred an injury during his ROTC service that could be construed as an injury for purposes of 38 U.S.C. § 101(2), (24).