Acquired psychiatric disorder Board decisions

The veteran's appeal was not timely filed for his claim of compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for hepatitis C, and the Board denies this issue. The remaining claims are all denied as secondary to service-connected conditions.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, PTSD; a cardiovascular disorder, hypertension; a spine disorder; residuals of a head injury; and chloracne. The veteran served in Vietnam but there is no indication that his current conditions are related to his military service.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for the award of TDIU, finding that the veteran did not file a formal or informal claim for TDIU prior to November 4, 1983. The RO awarded service connection and TDIU from that date.

The Board found that the veteran's current psychiatric disorder was not incurred in or aggravated during his period of active military service and is not etiologically related to his service-connected lipomas.

The Board denied service connection for memory loss, an acquired psychiatric disorder to include PTSD, dysthymia, and anxiety disorder, a low back disorder, and a sleep disorder. The veteran's claims were not supported by competent medical evidence linking these conditions to his active service.

The Board found that the veteran's claimed residuals of a head injury were not incurred in or aggravated by service. The claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder was also addressed, but is being remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Board has determined that the veteran's arthritis of the upper and lower extremities was not incurred in or aggravated by active military service. The claim for a psychiatric disorder is pending and will be addressed after additional development.

The Board found that the veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder was not incurred in or aggravated by his period of active service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims of service connection for a psychiatric disorder and diabetes mellitus need further examination and development. The RO is instructed to obtain all relevant medical records, review the veteran's claims file by the examiners who provided the May and June 2003 VA examinations, and provide an addendum addressing whether the veteran's conditions are related to service or within one year of service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's psychiatric disorder is not related to his military service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The veteran's service-connected paranoid schizophrenia is shown to have been productive of a disability picture that more nearly approximates severe social and industrial inadaptability as earlier as August 1, 1995. The veteran was not shown to have total social and industrial impairment at any time during the course of the appeal.

The Board found that the veteran does not have a current disability associated with an acquired psychiatric disorder incurred in or aggravated by service.

The veteran's claims for service connection for schizophrenia, PTSD, and a fracture of the right fifth metacarpal were denied due to failure to report for scheduled VA examinations.

The Board found no evidence of a current psychiatric disability, head injury, or hearing loss related to military service. The veteran's claims for these conditions were denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have an acquired psychiatric disorder related to his service and therefore denied both claims of service connection for PTSD and a TDIU.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, but remanded to obtain additional evidence and determine whether new and material evidence was submitted.

The Board has granted a 70 percent evaluation for PTSD, effective from the date of claim (August 13, 2002), and denied service connection for low back disability and hypertension.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disability due to new and material evidence. The current diagnoses of PTSD, depression, and bipolar disorder are considered new and relate to an unestablished fact necessary to establish service connection.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence was received to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for diabetes mellitus. The claim is granted.

The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and COPD, but granted service connection for headaches and a psychiatric disability.