Acquired psychiatric disorder Board decisions

The Veteran was found to meet the criteria for SMC based on the need for aid and attendance of another person from his original date of claim, October 6, 2006.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including a lumbar spine disability and right hip disability. The Board also found that new and material evidence had not been received to reopen his claim of residuals of brain injury (PTSD). Additionally, the Board determined that there was no causal relationship between any of the claimed conditions and service.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for scoliosis (claimed as back injury) and granted it. The issues of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, a rating in excess of 20 percent for hemorrhoids, and a compensable rating for psoriasis are addressed in the REMAND portion.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current diagnoses of acquired psychiatric disorder, shoulder disability, neck disability, low back disability, and tinnitus do not meet the criteria for service connection based on direct evidence. The Veteran did not have any relevant symptoms or diagnoses during service, and there is no competent medical opinion linking his current conditions to his military service.

The Veteran does not have a credible diagnosis of PTSD, and the record does not otherwise credibly show that a psychiatric disorder is etiologically related to his military service.

The Board denied service connection for a skin disorder and an acquired psychiatric disorder. The Veteran's claim for the acquired psychiatric disorder was denied due to lack of credible supporting evidence corroborating his claimed in-service stressors, while the skin disorder claim is pending as it relates to herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a new psychiatric examination. The issues of service connection for drug addition and hepatitis C liver condition are being held in abeyance due to their interrelation with the issue of acquired psychiatric disability.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA medical opinions and records.

The Board has remanded the case for a supplemental opinion regarding whether the appellant's pre-existing schizophrenia was aggravated by his period of active duty for training (ACDUTRA).

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to missing service treatment records, VA treatment records, and Social Security Administration (SSA) records. The Veteran is also required to provide information about any other health care providers who have provided treatment for her claimed conditions.

The Veteran's specific phobia (situational type) is related to his service and the claim for this condition is granted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain missing medical records and conduct a VA examination. The issues include service connection for various conditions, including chronic pain syndrome.

The Veteran's service-connected schizoaffective disorder, history of paranoid schizophrenia has resulted in occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in work, family relations, judgment, thinking and mood. The Board finds that the disability picture more nearly approximates a 70 percent rating.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and a lumbar spine disability, finding that there is no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has determined that there is no credible evidence of the Veteran's level of exposure to ionizing radiation in service, and thus cannot establish service connection based on such exposure. The claim for Parkinson's disease was denied as there is no medical evidence supporting a link between the condition and service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired respiratory disability, manifested by blastomycosis, is not related to service. The claim for an innocently acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, was also denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to errors in evidentiary findings and a need for additional development regarding the Veteran's claim of service connection for schizophrenia.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD is not related to his military service. The Veteran's skin disorder is not related to his military service.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss, tinnitus, and PTSD. New evidence shows current diagnoses of these conditions.,However, the preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that any of these conditions were incurred or aggravated by military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for additional development, including obtaining service treatment and personnel records from his periods of National Guard and USAR service, as well as any in-patient hospital records from Hennepin County Mental Health Hospital. The appeal is now pending again with the RO/AMC.