Acquired psychiatric disorder Board decisions

The Board denied an earlier effective date for the Total Disability Rating based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) and did not address the issue of an earlier effective date for the rating issues. The veteran's attorney was paid a fee from past-due benefits, but this payment is being withheld as it does not meet the requirements due to the separate nature of the TDIU issue.

The Board found that the veteran's claims for service connection were not well-grounded and denied them. The appeals regarding increased ratings for bunion deformities of the right and left great toes were also considered, but no rating was assigned as the criteria for a compensable evaluation were not met.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for a psychiatric disorder and a skin disorder are not well grounded. The claim for a psychiatric disorder is denied as there is no medical evidence linking any current psychiatric condition to military service.

The veteran's service-connected schizophrenia is currently manifested by symptoms including anxiety, depression, auditory and visual hallucinations, some suspiciousness, ideas of reference, and problems with concentration. The Board finds that these symptoms result in occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity, warranting a 50 percent disability rating.

The Board denied the reopening of a claim for service connection due to lack of new and material evidence, concluding that the appellant's statements were not sufficient to establish a nexus between his current psychiatric disorder and service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's schizophrenia, schizoid-affective type, with PTSD warrants a 70 percent evaluation effective June 23, 1998.

The Board found that the veteran's claim for service connection for a back disability was well-grounded and granted it. The issue of reopening his claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder was also granted, as new and material evidence had been submitted.

The Board found that the veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including paranoid schizophrenia, was not well-grounded because there is no competent medical evidence showing that his preexisting psychiatric disability originated during active service or was aggravated therein.

The Board has determined that additional evidence is needed to fully and fairly adjudicate the veteran's claims for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, and a kidney disorder. The RO must attempt to obtain the veteran's treatment records from the Bryan Dorn VA Hospital in Columbia, South Carolina, for the period including September 1993 to November 1994. They should also notify the veteran of potential additional evidence that may exist and advise him to submit such records if they can assist his claims.

The Board denied the claim for VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation benefits based on the appellant's alleged status as the helpless child of a veteran, finding that he was not permanently incapable of self-support at 18 years old.

The Board has determined that a psychiatric disorder incurred in service and a seizure disorder was not present in service, is granted for the acquired psychiatric disorder, but denied for the seizure disorder.

The Board found that the veteran's claims for service connection were not well-grounded, as there was no competent medical evidence linking his current conditions to his military service.

The veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a 100% disability evaluation for schizophrenia, paranoid type was denied as there was no evidence of an increase in the severity of his condition prior to May 22, 1992.

The Board found that the veteran's pre-existing psychiatric disorder (claimed as schizophrenia) was not aggravated by her brief period of military service, and thus denied her claim for service connection.

The veteran's post-traumatic stress disorder and schizophrenia were not incurred or aggravated by VA treatment, leading to a denial of compensation benefits.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for schizophrenia and post traumatic stress disorder are not well grounded, as there is no competent medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board found that the veteran's son was not permanently incapable of self-support prior to his 18th birthday, and thus denied the claim for VA benefits.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for gastrointestinal and psychiatric disabilities, finding that there was no evidence of a direct link to military service.

The Board has determined that the submitted evidence is not new and material, thus denying the reopening of the claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that his personality disorder was not a compensable disability and did not meet the criteria for service connection.