Acquired psychiatric disorder Board decisions

The Veteran is seeking service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including bipolar and major depressive disorders. The Board has also remanded the issue of an increased rating for his service-connected hypertension.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development and de novo consideration of his claims.

The Veteran's claim for a TDIU is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and an examination to assess his employability.

The Board has granted a 40 percent rating for each hip disability effective from March 21, 2007. The earlier effective dates for the increased ratings of the hips are denied.

The Board has granted a rating of 30 percent for the residuals of a groin injury, including varicocele and orchialgia, based on constant testicular pain requiring continuous intensive management. The claim for higher ratings is denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to the Veteran's failure to report for scheduled VA examinations and his request for a hearing. The claim will be reconsidered after these actions are taken.

The Board found that the Veteran's preexisting psychiatric disorder did not increase in severity during service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board denied the Veteran's attempt to reopen his previously denied claim for service connection for paranoid schizophrenia, finding that no new and material evidence had been received.

The Board denied the Veteran's petition to reopen his claims for service connection for residuals of a head injury, seizures, and dislocation of the spine (also claimed as dislocated neck), finding that the additional evidence submitted did not provide a reasonable possibility of substantiating these claims.

The Veteran's service connection claim for residuals of a stress fracture of the left leg is granted. The claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and depression, will be further addressed in the REMAND portion of this decision.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and psychiatric disability other than PTSD, as well as his increased rating claim for CTS of the right wrist, were denied. The Veteran's trigger thumb was found to be essentially asymptomatic.

The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to incomplete records and further medical evaluation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's currently diagnosed PTSD is a result of an in-service stressor involving sexual assault, and thus service connection for this condition is granted.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the reduction of disability evaluation for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine with neuropathy left lower extremity, from 40 percent to 20 percent, effective April 1, 2006. The remaining issue of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is addressed in the Remand portion.

The Board has determined that the evidence is in equipoise and warrants service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, classified as paranoid schizophrenia, which was likely manifested by prodromal phase symptoms during service.

The Board granted an increased rating for the Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disorder to 100 percent effective February 8, 1991. The decision also determined that attorney fees in the amount of $42,857.80 should be withheld from past-due benefits.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including scheduling a VA examination to determine if any diagnosed psychiatric disability is related to the service-connected orchiectomy.

The Board has recharacterized the issues as 'entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder to include PTSD', and denied service connection for a right foot disorder and an eye disorder. The evidence does not support finding that any of these conditions were incurred or aggravated during active duty, inactive duty training, or basic training.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and a psychiatric disorder.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include as secondary to service-connected bilateral defective hearing and/or tinnitus, was denied. The Veteran also had a claim for increased evaluations for his bilateral defective hearing prior to September 2, 2005, and from that date forward. However, the Board found no current evidence of a diagnosed psychiatric condition.