Acquired psychiatric disorder Board decisions

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability and IBS are found to be related to service, meeting the criteria for service connection.

The Board is remanding the case for further development, including obtaining VA and private treatment records, scheduling a VA examination, and addressing the timeliness of the NODs and new and material evidence issues.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including dysthymia and major depressive disorder, are found to be proximately due to service-connected PTSD. The claim for an earlier effective date of award for service connection for PTSD is granted, with the initial rating for PTSD being set at 70 percent as of June 27, 2011. The Veteran's TDIU claim is also granted.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including social phobia, anxiety disorder, agoraphobia with panic disorder, and depression, is found to be secondary to his service-connected residuals of stroke. His diabetes mellitus type II has been rated at 20 percent since November 23, 2004, and increased to 40 percent for the right lower extremity peripheral neuropathy on April 25, 2013. The left lower extremity peripheral neuropathy was also increased to 40 percent effective from that date.

The Board determined that the Veteran does not meet the criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD and concluded that his acquired psychiatric disorder, diagnosed as Schizophrenia, Paranoid (CPT), is related to service. The claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD was remanded.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for PTSD and an acquired psychiatric disorder, other than PTSD, was granted. The appeal is based on the direct relationship between the current diagnoses and military service.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than September 23, 2008, for the grant of service connection for chronic lymphocytic leukemia was denied as there is no legal entitlement to such a benefit.

The Board denied the Veteran's petition to reopen his claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that new and material evidence had not been submitted.

The Veteran's claimed disabilities were not related to service and the Board denied all claims for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office for further development, including scheduling a Travel Board hearing.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a valid diagnosis of PTSD and his current psychiatric disabilities are not related to service or to service-connected hearing loss or tinnitus. Therefore, service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, is denied.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of PTSD and denied his claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD and MDD.

The Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of PTSD and his acquired psychiatric disorders are due to willful misconduct. His left knee disability is service-connected but the initial rating assigned was denied.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD was denied as there is no independent verification of the reported in-service stressor involving the death of his friend. The Board found that the Veteran did not engage in combat with the enemy and therefore, the claimed stressor must be corroborated by credible supporting evidence.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are reasonably shown to have contributed to his acquired psychiatric disorder, including as secondary to his service-connected disabilities. The Board finds that the criteria for entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, as secondary to service-connected disabilities, are met.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder has been reopened, but his claim for ischemic heart disease remains denied as the evidence does not support a direct relationship to service.

The Board has reopened the claims for schizophrenia and genital herpes, but denied service connection for both conditions. The bronchitis claim was granted based on new evidence submitted since the May 1992 rating decision.

The Veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions were denied, and the Board found no new and material evidence to reopen any of these claims.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to a request for a hearing. The Veteran's claims for service connection for vertigo and PTSD are currently on appeal.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been received to reopen the claim of service connection for organic heart disease. The Veteran does not have PVD, a psychiatric disability including PTSD and depression, hypertension, or a respiratory disability attributable to active service.