Acquired psychiatric disorder Board decisions

The Veteran's tinnitus is rated at the maximum schedular rating, and his bilateral hearing loss disability does not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation. The acquired psychiatric disorder has been found to warrant a 30 percent rating, but no higher. The claim for TDIU is granted.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been granted, with the exception of his claim for hyperlipidemia. The remaining conditions include an acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD and anxiety disorders), bilateral knee osteoarthritis, hearing loss of the left ear, sleep apnea, hypertension, a low back disorder, bilateral hip osteoarthritis, tinnitus of the right ear, folliculitis, resection of left eye pterygium with residual faint nasal conjunctival scar, recurrent nasal pterygium of the right eye, and TDIU. The Veteran's hyperlipidemia claim is pending.

The Board found that the Veteran did not have an in-service psychiatric injury or disease and denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's schizophrenia with depressive symptoms resulted in occupational and social impairment, but not to the extent that it caused total occupational and social impairment. The disability was rated at a 50 percent level for the period from October 23, 1996 to November 27, 2006.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, manifested by occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity due to symptoms such as irritability, anger problems, near-continuous depression, and periods of confusion difficulty concentrating due to flashbacks and avoidance behaviors, has been granted a 50 percent evaluation.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals for increased ratings in multiple conditions, including PTSD and peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities. As a result, there are no remaining issues to be decided by the Board.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD and clinical depression, was denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability related to service or any other presumptive basis. The claims for increased ratings for the left shoulder and hip disabilities were also denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and the signed consent form for his right knee arthroplasty.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, gastrointestinal disability, skin cancer, and PTSD are denied as there is no evidence of a current disability or in-service incurrence or aggravation.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been denied. The Board found no evidence of a current disability related to the claimed conditions and insufficient medical nexus opinions.

The Board has found that the Veteran's deviated nasal septum is related to in-service injuries and grants service connection for this condition. The issues of service connection for bilateral knee disability and acquired psychiatric disorder are also granted.

The Board found that the Veteran did not have exposure to Agent Orange and thus could not establish service connection for Parkinson's disease or an acquired psychiatric disorder on a presumptive basis. The claims were denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to the need to obtain additional medical records and provide a new opinion regarding the etiology of his schizophrenia.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a VA examination and opinion regarding the Veteran's claimed acquired psychiatric disorder, specifically PTSD. The issue of TDIU is also inextricably intertwined with this service connection claim.

The Board finds that the Veteran's strokes and related conditions are not due to carelessness, negligence, lack of proper skill, error in judgment, or similar instance of fault on the part of VA. The evidence does not support a finding that her strokes were caused by overmedication or neglect.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed acquired psychiatric disorder, including posttraumatic stress disorder and personality disorder, was not incurred or aggravated during service. The claim for secondary service connection of peripheral neuropathy to diabetes mellitus is also denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hepatitis C, PTSD, TBI, and a compensable rating for post-operative scarring from CABG were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support these claims.

The Veteran's current acquired psychiatric disorder, major depressive disorder, is related to his military service. The Board finds that the Veteran has a right shoulder scar as a result of being stabbed in the back during service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's tinnitus was incurred during his first period of active duty service from December 2008 to January 2010.,The Veteran has a current right knee disorder and the evidence is in equipoise as to whether it was incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Veteran's right and left shoulder disabilities have been granted service connection, with the right shoulder rated at 30% and the left shoulder rated at 20%. The effective dates for these awards are October 19, 2011.