Acquired psychiatric disorder Board decisions

The Veteran's claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, left ankle condition, and right ankle condition was granted with effective dates of June 19, 2013.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient opinions regarding secondary service connection. The Veteran is seeking service connection for a sleep disturbance disorder and an acquired psychiatric disorder, including anxiety, depression, and PTSD, as secondary to his service-connected lumbar spine disability and associated radiculopathy.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to duty-to-assist errors, including obtaining SSA records and providing a VA examination regarding the appellant's claimed conditions related to exposure at Camp Lejeune.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus due to potential errors in the pre-decisional duty to assist. The Veteran's claims are being reviewed again.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for Generalized Anxiety Disorder and other than PTSD acquired psychiatric disorder due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors, including failure to obtain National Guard records.

The Board has granted service connection for right hip degenerative arthritis as secondary to service-connected right knee and lumbar spine arthritis. The rating for the acquired psychiatric disorder remains at 30 percent.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD. The VA examiner found that there was no evidence linking the Veteran's current psychiatric condition to his in-service stressor and did not consider all relevant medical records, including the Veteran's private treatment records from 2002.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for depression secondary to service-connected tinnitus is being remanded due to the AOJ relying almost solely on the VA examination, which was criticized for not considering the veracity of the notations in the Veteran's Santa Rosa Counseling records. A new VA examination and opinion are required.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability was dismissed due to his death during the pendency of the appeal.

The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence has been received to warrant readjudication of the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability including mood swings and memory loss other than PTSD. However, the Veteran's claim is denied as there is no probative evidence of a diagnosed psychiatric disability consistent with the DSM-5 other than his already-service connected PTSD.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for neoplasm of the kidney and an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and major depressive disorder due to a duty to assist error. The Veteran's exposure during service is presumed to include burn pit exposure.

The Veteran's application for Legacy S-DVI insurance was denied because the claim was not filed within two years from the date of service connection, and there is no evidence of mental incompetence during the relevant period.

The Board has expanded the claim to include an acquired psychiatric disorder and is remanding it due to insufficient evidence in the VA examiner's opinion.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not meet the criteria for service connection for erectile dysfunction due to a lack of current disability diagnosis.,For his low back disability, the Board finds that he is entitled to a 10 percent rating based on Diagnostic Code 5242.

The Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disorder and back condition with associated radiculopathy prevented him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment from May 26, 2021, through August 22, 2022. The Board granted TDIU for this period.

The Veteran's service-connected unspecified mental disorder is granted a disability rating of 70 percent, but no higher, for the entire review period. The appeal also includes a request for TDIU which has been remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, and a right hand disability are being remanded due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors. The Board will attempt to verify the Veteran's reported stressors and schedule him for VA examinations to address his claims.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than April 30, 2021 for the award of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is denied. The issues of a rating greater than 70 percent for a service-connected acquired psychiatric disorder and entitlement to TDIU are remanded.

The Board has determined that the severance of service connection for high blood pressure/hypertension was proper. The Veteran's claims for back disability, sleep apnea syndrome, and acquired psychiatric disabilities (anxiety and depression) are remanded due to inadequate examination reports.

The Veteran's schizophrenia is rated at 100% from March 24, 1979 to September 24, 1984. Effective date of DEA benefits is granted as of March 24, 1979. The issue of TDIU has been rendered moot due to the grant of a total disability rating.