Acquired psychiatric disorder Board decisions

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, is not etiologically related to his active military service.

The Board finds that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability, including paranoid personality disorder, is caused or aggravated by his service-connected bilateral knee and back disabilities. Therefore, the claim for service connection is granted.

The Board found that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including depression, was noted on his entrance examination and pre-existed service. The increase in severity during service has not been shown, thus denying service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to an acquired psychiatric disorder related to his military service. The claim for death pension is being remanded as part of this decision.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to incomplete service treatment records and insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder. The claim will be reviewed again with additional development.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including a depressive disorder, likely began during or was caused by her military service. However, due to discrepancies in treatment dates and names used, additional records need to be obtained from private providers and VA. A new VA examination is required to determine if the condition existed prior to service and whether it was aggravated by service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is not related to his service, and therefore denied the claim for service connection. The issues of low back disability, erectile dysfunction, peripheral neuropathy, acquired psychiatric disorder (including depression and anxiety), and migraines are remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened and are granted. Additional development is needed to determine the nature and etiology of his psychiatric disorders and right shoulder/arm disorder.

The Board has remanded the case due to new evidence submitted by the Veteran's attorney. The claim will be reconsidered and a Supplemental Statement of the Case (SSOC) will be issued.

The Veteran's sleep and depression claims have been broadened to include service connection for these conditions as secondary to his service-connected bilateral hearing loss and/or tinnitus. The issues of increased ratings for left knee arthritis, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus are still pending.,The Veteran has withdrawn his appeal regarding the issue of an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for tinnitus.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for head injury, bilateral leg sciatica, disability manifested by motion sickness and dizziness, tinnitus, bilateral glaucoma, bilateral cataracts, left eye detached retina (secondary to left eye cataracts), left hand disability (secondary to neck disability), right hand disability (secondary to neck disability), bilateral shoulder disability (secondary to neck disability), joint disability, neck disability, acquired psychiatric disorder (posttraumatic stress disorder) (secondary to service-connected lumbar spine disability), and sleep apnea have been denied. The Veteran withdrew these claims during his Board hearing.

The Board has determined that further development is needed to ensure a complete record prior to adjudicating the Veteran's claims. This includes obtaining any outstanding VA treatment records, scheduling an appropriate VA examination for each issue on appeal, and considering whether service connection can be granted based on direct evidence of a link between current disabilities and service.

The Board found that the Veteran's current herpes genitalis and acquired psychiatric disorder did not have their onset during service or are otherwise related to active service. The claim for service connection was denied.

The Board has determined that service connection is warranted for the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, bilateral knee disorder, and right ankle disorder.,Service connection was granted for an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and depression) as it is at least as likely as not related to active duty service. The bilateral knee disorder is also found to be related to active duty service. However, the right ankle disorder is not shown to be related to active duty service.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date prior to August 3, 1989 for the grant of service connection for schizophrenia is dismissed as a freestanding claim after a final Board decision.

The Board has determined that the submitted evidence is not new and material, thus denying the Veteran's petition to reopen his previously denied psychiatric disorder service connection claim.

The Board has found that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus and PTSD. The Veteran's current diagnoses of tinnitus and PTSD are supported by credible evidence, including his own statements and medical opinions from VA clinicians.

The Board has remanded the case for a new VA examination to determine if the Veteran has any current psychiatric disorders, including PTSD, and whether these are related to his military service. The AOJ will then review the claims file and readjudicate the claim.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and anxiety. The new evidence received since the final February 2012 denial indicates that the Veteran currently suffers from such a condition related to his military service.

The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, finding that the Veteran did not have a current disability related to his military service.