Acquired psychiatric disorder Board decisions

The Veteran's tinnitus is related to his military service, and he has an acquired psychiatric disorder that is not due to willful misconduct. The claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder remains pending as the issue of whether new and material evidence was submitted is still under consideration.

The Board has determined that the Veteran is entitled to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, diagnosed as dysthymic disorder. The issue of entitlement to service connection for a back disability is addressed in the REMAND portion of the decision below and is REMANDED to the RO via the Appeals Management Center (AMC).

The Board has granted service connection for a low back disability. The Veteran's current low back disability is related to his military service.

The Board denied service connection for narcotic addiction as secondary to a service-connected left shoulder disability and found no causal relationship between hyperkeratotic lesions on the plantar surfaces of both feet and service. The Veteran's claims for TDIU were also addressed in the remand portion, but are not included in this decision.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that his schizophrenia and major depressive disorder did not begin in service or for many years thereafter. The long time lapse between service and any documented evidence of treatment can be considered as evidence of whether an injury or disease was incurred in service which resulted in any chronic or persistent disability.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and Schizophrenia, finding no evidence of a current disability or in-service stressors. The claim was characterized as seeking service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Board has ordered the case to be remanded again due to failure to comply with prior remand directives. The Veteran's claims for hepatitis C and an acquired psychiatric disorder will need further development, including obtaining additional medical records and providing a VA examination.

The Veteran's appeal is being REMANDED to the RO for further action, including scheduling a hearing at his correctional facility or accommodating his request through other means. The case will be returned to the Board if necessary.

The Board has remanded the case for further development of records and to obtain additional medical opinions regarding the Veteran's claimed conditions.

The Board has determined that further development is needed to determine if the Veteran's claimed stressors are sufficient to have caused his psychiatric disability, specifically including PTSD, and whether there exists a nexus between the established stressors and his psychiatric symptoms.

The Board has determined that no new and material evidence was received to reopen the claims for service connection for bilateral pes planus, bilateral knee/shin disorder, and schizophrenia. As such, these claims remain denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for a back disorder, migraine headaches, an acquired psychiatric disability (including PTSD), hearing loss, and tinnitus.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for a cervical spine disability and an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD and schizophrenia. However, the evidence does not establish that these conditions are related to military service.

The Board found that the evidence does not support a conclusion that the Veteran has a psychiatric disorder that is etiologically related to service or service-connected disability, and denied his claim for service connection.

The claim of service connection for a psychiatric disability has been reopened, but the evidence does not establish that the current psychiatric disability is related to service.,The claim of service connection for a prostate disorder has also been reopened. The Veteran's BPH was not diagnosed in service or shortly thereafter, and there is no medical opinion linking his current BPH to service.

The Board found that the appellant did not have an acquired psychiatric disorder during his military service and there is no evidence linking any current psychiatric condition to his military service. The claim for nonservice-connected pension was also denied.

The Board finds that further development is necessary to determine the validity of the Veteran's claimed PTSD stressors and whether he currently has a diagnosis of PTSD. The low back disorder claim must also be remanded for additional development.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 50 percent for undifferentiated schizophrenia was denied, as his condition is currently rated at the highest available level. The claim for TDIU due to service-connected disability was also denied.

The Veteran's polysubstance dependence disorder is service-connected as it was caused by self-medication for his PTSD. However, no separate acquired psychiatric disorder has been found to be related to service.