Acquired psychiatric disorder Board decisions

The Board has granted service connection for scars along the jaw near the ears with numbness, but has remanded the claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric condition due to insufficient evidence.

The Board granted service connection for schizoaffective type/schizophrenia, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and right eye glaucoma.

The Board has granted service connection for a low back disability, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, and a psychiatric disorder. The evidence supports the conclusion that these conditions are related to the Veteran's military service.,The VA examiner found no nexus between the claimed low back condition and service, while the private examiner concluded that the Veteran's physical job duties during service likely caused his back condition.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of his acquired psychiatric disorder was granted. His initial rating for the acquired psychiatric disorder remains at 70 percent.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, is related to his in-service stressor of experiencing physical and verbal abuse during 'blanket parties' in basic training. After resolving all doubt in favor of the Veteran, service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, is granted.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a psychiatric disability and lumbosacral strain, finding that there is no evidence of current disabilities or a causal relationship to service.

The Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disability resulted in occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity, warranting a higher initial disability rating of 70 percent from May 18, 2018, to October 26, 2021.

The Board has found that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of PTSD and has denied his claim for service connection. The issue of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, other than PTSD, is remanded due to duty-to-assist errors.

The Board dismissed the claims of service connection for various conditions due to a lack of an initial substitution eligibility determination by the AOJ.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder is currently rated at 70 percent, and the Board has determined that it does not meet the criteria for a higher rating due to insufficient evidence of total occupational and social impairment.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, diagnosed as major depression and anxiety disorder, was found to be causally linked to his service-connected traumatic brain injury. His tinnitus was also granted based on credible reports of in-service noise exposure.

The Veteran's loss of use of a creative organ and acquired psychiatric disability, including insomnia, depression, and anxiety, are granted as service-connected. However, the rating for his acquired psychiatric disability remains at 30 percent.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims of service connection for low back disability, acquired psychiatric disability (unspecified depressive disorder and insomnia), and sleep apnea due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors. The issues will be reconsidered with additional medical opinions.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions have rendered him unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment, leading to a grant of TDIU. Additionally, he is eligible for SMC at the housebound rate due to his psychiatric disorder.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder as secondary to his service-connected disabilities. The evidence shows that the Veteran's current psychiatric condition is due to or aggravated by his service-connected conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an effective date prior to September 11, 2013, for both service connection and Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits. The issues are related as they both hinge on the Veteran's effective date for his acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disorder has been dismissed due to the death of the Veteran during the pendency of the appeal.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, an acquired psychiatric disorder (claimed as sleep-wake disorder and PTSD), a low back disorder, right knee disorders, left knee disorders, right foot disorders, and left foot disorders are remanded due to inadequate VA examinations. The claims will be reconsidered after new examinations have been conducted.

The Veteran withdrew all pending appeals, including those for higher ratings and service connection.

The Veteran withdrew their appeals for service connection of acquired psychiatric conditions, including PTSD, and depression. As a result, the Board dismissed these claims.