Acquired psychiatric disorder Board decisions

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for a low back disability, right ankle disability, and psychiatric disorder. The claim seeking an increased rating for his right knee disability was also denied.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, which includes diagnoses of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and bipolar disorder. The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder is found to be related to his active duty service. Service connection for left ear hearing loss was dismissed due to withdrawal by the Veteran.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development and verification of his reported exposures, events, and medical records.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus are all found to be related to his service. The right shoulder disability is not considered a qualifying additional disability for compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for tinnitus and psychiatric disability, including PTSD. The Board found that there is no evidence linking these conditions to military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, diagnosed as schizoaffective disorder, was incurred during active duty service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of PTSD that conforms with DSM-IV criteria, and therefore, service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, is denied.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a skin disorder and PTSD has been granted. The Board found that the Veteran had a current diagnosis of PTSD, credible evidence of an in-service stressor, and a link between his current symptoms and the verified stressor.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn by his attorney, and thus the case is dismissed.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for right hip disability, right leg disability (to include arthritis), left leg disability (to include arthritis), hearing loss, diabetes mellitus, and an acquired psychiatric disorder. The evidence did not establish a nexus between these conditions and military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for schizophrenia was reopened on September 4, 2001. Effective that date, he is granted a 100% disability rating for his schizophrenia.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's previously denied claim for service connection for PTSD, but has determined that there is no evidence of a current diagnosis or causal relationship between his claimed psychiatric disability and active service.

The Board has determined that there is no current evidence of a service-connected acquired psychiatric disorder, hypertension, peripheral neuropathy affecting either upper extremity, arteriosclerotic heart disease, or kidney disorder. The Veteran's claims for these conditions are therefore denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral ankle disability and sinus tachycardia are not service-connected as they are not due to or aggravated by his hypertension, which is related to Nifedipine. The psychiatric disorder claim was not addressed in this decision.

The Veteran's service-connected herniated disc at L4-5 and L5-S1 is currently rated as 20 percent disabling. The Board finds that the current rating adequately compensates for his disability.

The Veteran does not have current psychiatric, bladder, sweating, bilateral upper extremity, or left lower extremity disabilities that are service-connected. The Board finds no evidence of such conditions following service separation.

The Veteran is seeking compensation under the 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for various disabilities allegedly resulting from VA medical care, specifically overmedication and neglect in treatment. The case has been remanded to obtain additional records and schedule a new VA examination.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for a psychiatric disorder is being remanded due to incomplete records and further development is needed.

The Veteran's TBI residuals have been properly rated under the appropriate diagnostic codes, and a separate compensable disability rating for TBI under Diagnostic Code 8045 is denied.

The Board has found that the Veteran's tinnitus is not related to his service, and thus denied this claim. The psychiatric disorder issue remains on appeal as it involves an acquired psychiatric condition.