Acquired psychiatric disorder Board decisions

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a VA psychiatric examination to determine the etiology of his claimed PTSD and other acquired psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder; dissociative disorder; multiple personality disorder; major depressive disorder; depression; and schizoaffective disorder. The examiner will also provide an opinion as to whether these conditions are related to service.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and mood disorder, is found to be related to his service. His skin disorder is also found to be related to his service. However, the hypertension claim remains pending as further development was required.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, due to a lack of verified in-service stressors and no relationship between current symptoms and service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's reports of experiencing psychiatric symptoms and receiving related treatment during service are not credible. The first post-service psychiatric treatment of record is in 2004, approximately 28 years after the Veteran's discharge from service. The only medical opinion of record addressing the etiology of the Veteran's current psychiatric disorder fails to relate it to service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for migraines, a psychiatric disability, a right eye disability, a heart disability, and a lung disability. The claim for a back disability was remanded.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected chronic prostatitis was granted, with the effective date being December 7, 2010. The Veteran is now rated at 40 percent for this disability.

The appeal has been withdrawn by the appellant before a decision was made.

The Board denied service connection for a left knee disorder and psychiatric disorders, finding no in-service injury or stressor that could be linked to the current conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including providing notice regarding service connection for PTSD due to personal assault and obtaining relevant medical records.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, is being remanded due to the need to obtain her service personnel records and verify any inservice stressors. A VA psychiatric examination will be scheduled to determine if a current psychiatric disability is related to service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a back disorder, including as secondary to his service-connected left knee disability, has been reopened and is granted. The claims for service connection for right knee and psychiatric disorders remain pending.

The Board found that there is no medical evidence showing a link between the Veteran's current psychiatric disorders and his military service, thus denying the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's complaints of muscle symptoms, cardiovascular symptoms, blurred vision, sleep problems, fatigue, headaches, reflux, or psychiatric symptoms are attributed to his service-connected PTSD with panic disorder. The Board finds no evidence of a separate undiagnosed illness or chronic qualifying disability.

The Board found that the appellant's acquired psychiatric disorder existed prior to his period of active duty service and did not permanently increase in severity during his military service. Therefore, the claim for service connection was denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, due to a lack of corroborated in-service stressors and no evidence linking his current condition to his active duty.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal as to the issue of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD prior to the Board's decision.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including schizophrenia and paranoid type is being remanded due to the need for further development of his medical records and a comprehensive psychiatric examination.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for schizophrenia, secondary to a head injury. The evidence received since the last final rating decision is new and material, contributing to a more complete picture of the Veteran's current psychiatric disability and his claimed head injury in service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed conditions are not related to his service-connected back condition and thus cannot be granted service connection.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations to determine the etiology of any diagnosed acquired psychiatric disorder, hearing loss, and tinnitus. The Veteran's claims will be reconsidered after these actions.