Acquired psychiatric disorder decisions — 2024

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete verification of a claimed stressor and inadequate medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's psychiatric disorders.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for acquired psychiatric disability, obstructive sleep apnea, left ulnar nerve condition, and right knee disability have been denied. The case is remanded to provide the Veteran with another opportunity for a VA examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, due to a lack of credible supporting evidence that the claimed in-service stressors occurred. The Veteran was not deployed to Iraq and Kuwait as he claimed, nor were there any records corroborating his reported combat exposure.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings, service connection, and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and development of evidence. The issues include left elbow and wrist disabilities, sleep disorder (OSA), bilateral hearing loss, psychiatric disorders, and hepatitis C.

The claim for Vitamin D deficiency has been dismissed. The low back disability is granted and rated at 10%. Other issues are remanded.,Neck, rheumatoid arthritis, acquired psychiatric disorder (including dysthymic disorder and insomnia), allergic rhinitis, loss of sense of smell, and sinusitis for increased rating are all remanded.

The Board has denied service connection for hypertension, residuals of a stroke, asthma, and an acquired psychiatric disorder as the evidence does not support that these conditions are related to service.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability is granted as secondary to his service-connected disabilities.,The claim for a cervical spine disability, claimed as neck disability, is granted as secondary to his service-connected disabilities.,Service connection for acid reflux and stomach ulcers are granted as secondary to medications taken for his now service-connected acquired psychiatric disability.,Service connection for sleep apnea is granted as secondary to medications taken for his now service-connected acquired psychiatric disability.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right knee disorder, left knee disorder, and an acquired psychiatric disorder other than unspecified depressive disorder. The VA examiners found no evidence linking these conditions to his active service.

The Veteran's back disability, hepatitis C, and brain disability (manifested by cognitive issues) are all remanded for further development.,Service connection is also being remanded for a psychiatric disability.

The Veteran's appeal for left leg shin splints, right leg shin splints, and lumbosacral strain has been remanded due to the need for additional medical examination and opinion.,The Veteran's appeal for traumatic brain injury (TBI) and an acquired psychiatric disorder has also been remanded as there is insufficient evidence regarding their relationship to service.

The Veteran's left foot disability and psychiatric disorders (PTSD, Major Depressive Disorder) were denied as the evidence did not support a finding of service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development, including obtaining updated employment and income information, completing VA Forms 21-4192 with his employers, and scheduling a VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected hip disabilities.

The Veteran's service connection claims for obstructive sleep apnea, an acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD with persistent depressive disorder), and diabetes mellitus are all granted. The claim for hypertension is remanded.

The Veteran's claims for hearing loss, low back disorder, depression, knee disorders, foot disorders, and ankle disorders have been dismissed as the Veteran opted into the Appeals Modernization Act (AMA) by submitting a VA Form 10182 within 60 days of receiving a Supplemental Statement of the Case.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders are caused and aggravated by his service-connected disabilities. The Board has granted the claim for service connection, but the effective date of the TDIU is remanded due to insufficient clinical evidence.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection and TDIU due to the Veteran's failure to attend scheduled VA examinations. The examination is needed to determine the nature and etiology of her acquired psychiatric disorder, including as related to military sexual trauma, and her hypertension.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the improper application of the new and material evidence standard in his previous denial. The issues will be reconsidered under the correct standard.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and MDD, which is related to military sexual trauma (MST) experienced during basic training in 1974.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including bipolar disorder with psychosis, finding that his pre-existing condition clearly and unmistakably existed prior to service and was not aggravated by service beyond its natural progression.

The Veteran's psychiatric disability is currently rated at 50 percent from April 27, 2020. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a higher rating.,The Veteran has been granted TDIU effective April 27, 2020.