Acquired psychiatric disorder Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA and private treatment records, verifying claimed stressors, and scheduling examinations to determine if the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability and right knee condition are related to service.

The Veteran's headaches are presumed to have been incurred in service. His bilateral knee disorders, cervical spine disorder and right leg sciatica are not shown to be related to his military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and development of his medical records. The issues include tinnitus, bilateral hearing loss, a back disorder, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (claimed as depression and PTSD).

The Board has remanded the case for further development to address issues of service connection for bilateral pes planus and an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and depressive disorder. The Veteran's claims are currently in a state where additional evidence is needed from Vet Centers and medical opinions are required.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to his failure to appear for a scheduled Board hearing. The issues are related to the effective date and compensation rates for service connection of schizophrenia.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and examination to determine if any psychiatric disorder or residuals of a coma, including blackouts, memory loss, and inability to concentrate, are related to service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, major depressive disorder, and anxiety is granted. The Board finds that the Veteran has a current diagnosis of these conditions which are related to his military service. For the bilateral feet condition, a new VA examination is needed as the previous one did not address the Veteran's assertions regarding the origin of his bone spurs during service.

The Board finds that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of hepatitis C and there is no evidence linking his claimed conditions to active military service. The Veteran's PTSD may be related to in-service assault, but further examination is needed to determine if it is related to combat support operations.

The VA examiner concluded there is no evidence indicating the Veteran has an acquired psychiatric disorder, thus denying service connection for such a condition.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including requesting an addendum opinion from the VA psychiatrist and clarifying the VA orthopaedic examination report. The issues of service connection for acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and depression) and a disability rating in excess of 20 percent for service-connected toe injuries are pending.

The Veteran's schizophrenia was manifested within one year of service and is considered to be directly related to his military service.

The Board found no evidence of a current psychiatric disability and concluded that the appellant's claimed conditions are not related to his military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection of allergic rhinitis, an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and depression), onychomycosis, and hypertension. The Veteran did not meet the criteria for presumptive service connection due to herbicide exposure or other diseases associated with such exposure.

The Veteran's service-connected vascular headaches are currently rated at 30 percent prior to December 12, 2008 and at 50 percent from that date. The claim for a compensable rating for vascular headaches is granted.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence of a current disability related to service for the claimed conditions, including bilateral knee disability, bilateral shin splints, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disability. Therefore, service connection for these conditions is denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, chronic headaches, and TDIU are still pending. The psychiatric claim is in progress with a reopened status due to new evidence submitted since the last denial. The issue of whether new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the chronic headaches claim remains in progress. The TDIU claim is also in progress.

The Veteran's natural child, LDC, was diagnosed with schizophrenia prior to the age of 18 and has been permanently incapable of self-support since then. The Board granted recognition as a helpless child for VA benefits purposes.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to inadequate opinion regarding his psychiatric disability and procedural issues with the low back claim. Additional evidence is needed, including VA treatment records for his psychiatric condition.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to incomplete records and unclear medical opinions.

The Board found no evidence of an acquired psychiatric disability in service or due to service, and thus denied the Veteran's claims for service connection.