Acquired psychiatric disorder Board decisions

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development, including obtaining records regarding alleged stressful events in Vietnam and VA examinations to determine the etiology of any diagnosed conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was not incurred or aggravated by service, and is therefore denied.,Service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the left lower extremity and right lower extremity is granted as these conditions are associated with his service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and for a VA examination to determine the etiology of his migraine headaches, including whether they are related to service or secondary to his service-connected psychiatric disorders.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to incomplete records and an updated examination.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a currently diagnosed disorder of the bilateral ankles. The claim for service connection for bilateral ankle arthritis is denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than April 11, 2001 for the grant of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder manifested by depression. The decision found that no legal basis existed to assign such a date.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining additional medical opinions and records. The Veteran's claim will be reconsidered based on the new evidence.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and examination to address the Veteran's claims of service connection for a skin condition, an acquired psychiatric disability (including depression and memory loss), and a heart condition. The Veteran will be scheduled for VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.

The Veteran's claim for PTSD was denied, and he received a noncompensable evaluation for his headaches prior to August 1, 2006. From that date onwards, he was granted a 30% evaluation for his headaches.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including posttraumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, dysthymic disorder, depression, and bulimia, is being remanded due to the need for additional development. The claim of service connection for tinnitus remains pending.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied due to lack of competent evidence supporting his assertions and diagnoses.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and denied the remaining issues. Bilateral hearing loss is related to military service, while other conditions are not shown to be connected.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current diagnoses of bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and a psychiatric disability (depression) are related to her military service. Service connection is granted for these conditions.

The Board has determined that further action is required to verify the Veteran's claimed in-service stressors and to obtain all relevant medical records. The claims for service connection for PTSD and psychiatric disability other than PTSD are being remanded.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for schizophrenia and granted it, finding that new evidence submitted since the previous denial relates to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim (manifestation during or within one year after service discharge).

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a right knee scar, arthritis of the pelvic bones, and shin splints were denied. The Board found that there was no current evidence of these conditions.

The Board found no evidence of a hearing loss disability, tinnitus, psychiatric disorder (to include PTSD and dysthymic/depressive disorder), head trauma residuals, or hypertension in service. The Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected undifferentiated type schizophrenia was rated at 50 percent prior to August 17, 2008. The Board found that the disability picture more closely approximated a 70 percent rating due to occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been denied as there is no evidence of a current disability or in-service injury that would support the claims. The dental and eye conditions are not considered compensable under VA regulations.

The Board has granted service connection for a thoracolumbar spine disorder and an acquired psychiatric disorder, including bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety with short-term memory loss and irritability.