Acquired psychiatric disorder Board decisions

The Veteran's claims for specially adapted housing and a special home adaptation grant have been denied as her service-connected disabilities do not meet the legal criteria for these benefits.

The Veteran's service-connected bronchial asthma has rendered him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation.,Service connection for sleep apnea is granted as secondary to the service-connected bronchial asthma.

The Board found that the Veteran did not timely file a Notice of Disagreement (NOD) with the July 2007 rating decision denying service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability to include PTSD, and thus the decision became final.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied due to lack of evidence establishing a current disability and/or a link between the claimed conditions and service. The Board found that new evidence did not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim for PTSD, but did not find any material evidence relating to the left hip disorder.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional medical records and a VA examination. The Veteran's claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, is pending.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disorder, an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and depression), chest pain, and left ankle disability. The evidence did not establish that these conditions were incurred or aggravated by military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development and clarification of her psychiatric, back, and hip disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, hypertension, back disability, sleep apnea, high cholesterol, prostate disability, diabetes mellitus, type II, headaches, and organic mental disorder have all been denied. The Board found that there was no evidence of a nexus between the Veteran's current conditions and his active service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including depressive disorder with anxious distress, is proximately due to her service-connected back and bilateral leg disabilities. The issues of service connection for neck disorder, headache, increased ratings for back disability, restless leg syndrome, and eczema are addressed in the REMAND portion of this decision.

The Board has ordered additional development as the April 2016 VA examiner's opinion is inadequate. The appellant seeks service connection for her husband's death on a secondary basis due to his service-connected schizophrenia.

The Board found no evidence of a current diagnosis of PTSD or an acquired psychiatric condition other than PTSD, and thus denied both claims. The Veteran's symptoms were attributed to depression and substance use issues rather than service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD is granted, and she has been granted a compensable rating for external otitis. However, her claim for left ear hearing loss was denied as not related to service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, respiratory disorders, and bilateral hearing loss were denied as the evidence did not meet the criteria for establishing service connection.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's psychiatric disorders, specifically PTSD and schizophrenia. The VA will gather more recent treatment records and schedule a new examination for an opinion on the onset of these conditions during service or their connection to service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for sinusitis and an acquired psychiatric disability, as well as his claim for increased rating for unfavorable ankylosis of the fourth and fifth fingers of the right hand, were granted. The effective date for these grants is November 30, 2016.

The Veteran's tinea versicolor is rated as noncompensable due to less than five percent of the total body and exposed areas being affected, with no systemic therapy required.,There is no current diagnosis of dysentery in the record. The Veteran has not provided credible evidence that he experienced a stressor during service which would support a PTSD diagnosis.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, to include PTSD, is being remanded due to the Veteran not attending a scheduled VA examination. The case will be returned to the AOJ for further development.

The Board found that the Veteran's claimed neurological and psychiatric disabilities did not manifest during service or are otherwise related to service. Therefore, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability, diabetes, diabetic peripheral neuropathy of all four extremities, and erectile dysfunction are granted as service connected due to exposure to herbicide agents during his active service.

The Veteran's step-son, C.L.P., is a helpless child incapable of self-support due to mental incapacity. The Board has determined that VA needs to provide the Veteran with a medical opinion regarding whether C.L.P. suffered from schizophrenia or another diagnosable mental health disorder prior to his 18th birthday.