Acquired psychiatric disorder Board decisions

The Board has determined that the veteran's current psychiatric disabilities, including depression and dysthymic disorder, were not incurred during military service or within a year of separation. The preponderance of evidence does not support a finding of service connection.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development of records from a VA medical center in Long Beach, California.

The Board has denied the appellant's claim for service connection for a neuropsychiatric disorder as there is no evidence of such condition during his period of active duty training, and he is not eligible for presumptive service connection.

The VA determined that the veteran's service-connected schizophrenia does not meet the criteria for a higher rating, as it did not manifest with certain specified symptoms.

The veteran's surviving spouse is appealing the denial of service connection for the cause of his death. The Board has determined that a medical opinion on whether the veteran's service-connected psychiatric disability either caused or contributed to his death is needed.

The Board found no clear and unmistakable evidence that the veteran had a psychiatric disability prior to enlistment, and concluded that schizophrenia was not etiologically related to active service.

The veteran's claims for increased rating and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a VA examination.

The Board has denied the veteran's petition to reopen his claim of service connection for schizophrenia, finding that no new and material evidence has been received since the final denial in November 1994.

The Board has determined that the veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, to include schizophrenia, was not incurred in or aggravated by service and may not be presumed to have been incurred in service. Therefore, the claim for service connection is denied.

The veteran's service-connected myofascial back pain syndrome is currently rated at 20 percent, effective June 26, 2000. The claim for a higher rating and earlier effective date are both granted.

The veteran's schizophrenia is currently rated at 50 percent disabling and the VA has determined that he is not unemployable due to his service-connected disability.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for schizophrenia and for effective dates earlier than September 6, 2000, for service connection and TDIU.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than July 14, 2001, for the grant of service connection for schizophrenia. The earliest evidence of intent to reopen a claim for service connection was on July 14, 2001.

The Board denied reopening of claims for service connection due to lack of new and material evidence, with the exception that a claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder was reopened but not substantiated.

The Board found that the preponderance of evidence is against a finding that the current psychiatric disorder, variously diagnosed, is related to service.

The Board denied the claim as the cause of death was not related to service, and there is no evidence that the veteran's psychiatric disability caused or aggravated his heart disease.

The Board found that new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen the claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and a right knee disability.

The Board has determined that the veteran's schizophrenia was not incurred in or aggravated by his military service and denied his claim.

The Board has granted an effective date of September 21, 1999 for the grant of service connection for schizophrenia, paranoid type. This is based on a petition to reopen filed in September 1999.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to issues related to representation and scheduling of a hearing.