Acquired psychiatric disorder Board decisions

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and is granting it.

The Board found that the veteran's claimed acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, is not related to his military service and denied the claim.

The Board has granted service connection for a mood disorder secondary to the veteran's service-connected low back disability, finding that extending the benefit of doubt in favor of the veteran is warranted.

The Board has ordered the case to be remanded for additional development and notification regarding new and material evidence.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and a VA psychiatric examination to determine if the veteran's current psychiatric disability is related to his service.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder due to new evidence. However, it denied both PTSD and the acquired psychiatric disorder claims as there is no credible evidence of in-service stressors or a nexus between current symptoms and service.

The Board has remanded the case for further examination and medical opinion regarding the etiology of any current psychiatric disorder, to determine if it is at least as likely as not that such disorder had its onset in service.

The Board found that there was no clear and unmistakable error in the November 1980 rating decision denying service connection for schizophrenia. The effective date of a 100% disability rating for bipolar affective disorder is set at April 16, 2000.

The veteran's claims for PTSD service connection were denied, and his headaches with tic douloureux symptoms (status-post head injury) were granted a 30% rating. His claim for Bell's Palsy was denied.

The veteran's claim for special monthly compensation based on the need for aid and attendance/housebound status is being remanded due to the need for clarification regarding his service-connected psychiatric disability.

The veteran's claim for service connection for paranoid schizophrenia was received on June 14, 1972. The effective date of this grant is set at the date of receipt of his claim.,The veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was received in August 1999 and granted with an effective date of August 16, 1999. He appealed this decision, seeking a prior effective date based on his contention that he should have been entitled to a 100% evaluation from June 1970 until January 1973.

The Board found that the veteran's current psychiatric disability was not incurred during service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for hepatitis C and denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability including posttraumatic stress disorder. The veteran's hepatitis C is considered to be related to his military service, specifically due to tattoos obtained during active service and unprotected sexual contact.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been received to reopen the veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder. The additional medical records submitted since the last denial do not provide a clear etiology of his current condition.

The Board found that the veteran's psychiatric disability was not incurred in or aggravated by his active duty service and denied his claim.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for schizophrenia, finding that the veteran's claim was received on December 22, 2003, and thus the earliest possible effective date is December 22, 2003.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development, including obtaining SSA records and scheduling a VA psychiatric examination.

The veteran's service-connected psychiatric disability, characterized by seizures, is now rated at 100 percent. As a result, the issue of entitlement to TDIU is moot.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU), and entitlement to special monthly compensation (SMC) based on the need for regular aid and attendance of another person (A&A) or being housebound.

The Board has determined that there was clear and unmistakable error in the September 1988 rating decision denying service connection for schizophrenia, as the veteran's condition is causally related to active service.