Acquired psychiatric disorder Board decisions

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and need for additional examinations. The issues include sleep apnea, acquired psychiatric disorder (depression), diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and lumbar strain with degenerative joint disease.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to the need for additional examinations and medical opinions regarding his disabilities. The issues of entitlement to an initial disability rating in excess of 50 percent for unspecified depressive disorder with secondary other substance abuse disorder, service connection for a lumbar spine disability, bilateral wrist disability, bilateral hand disability, bilateral hip disability, bilateral knee disability, bilateral ankle disability, and diabetes mellitus, type II are all remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including bipolar disorder, finding that the Veteran's condition had its onset during his active service and is not due to a preexisting condition.

Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, diagnosed as major depressive disorder, is granted.,Service connection for dizziness is remanded.

The Board denied service connection for a psychiatric disability, including PTSD, due to lack of evidence supporting the claimed stressors and no in-service psychiatric injury or disease.

The Veteran's claims for hepatitis C, a psychiatric disorder (claimed as PTSD and insomnia), a heart disorder (claimed as ischemic heart disease), type II diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and hemorrhoids have been reopened. Service connection has been granted for hepatitis C and the other conditions are denied.

The Board has granted service connection for a neck disability and a psychiatric disability (including PTSD), finding that the Veteran's conditions are related to his active military service. The right shoulder disability issue is remanded for further examination.

The Veteran's sinusitis was granted service connection. The Board found that the Veteran's character of discharge for the period from January 2005 to October 2008 should be remanded, as well as his claims for psychiatric disorders, cervical spine disorder, lumbar spine disorder, sacroiliac weakness, bilateral knee disorder, bilateral leg shin splints, bilateral ankle disorder, bilateral hammertoes, bilateral foot disorder, hypertensive heart disease, high blood pressure, emphysema, COPD, bronchiectasis, sleep apnea, maxilla oral surgery scarring, tooth loss and periodontal disease, skin cancer, facial scarring, and hemorrhoids.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claims for service connection for left knee and low back disabilities. The remaining issues of service connection for heart problems, residuals of a head injury, an acquired psychiatric disorder or sleep disorder, and TDIU have been remanded.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and an acquired psychiatric disorder, claiming as generalized anxiety disorder. The TDIU claim was also denied due to lack of any service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for muscle pain, joint pain, chronic fatigue, sleep apnea, and an acquired psychiatric disorder due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, finding that there was no current diagnosis of PTSD and that any diagnosed psychiatric condition did not begin during or as a result of service.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for further adjudication of his TDIU claim, which was previously granted but with an effective date of April 1, 2013. The current decision focuses on the issue of a rating in excess of 30 percent for an acquired psychiatric disorder prior to September 23, 2016.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, is rated at 100 percent due to total occupational and social impairment with symptoms such as grossly inappropriate behavior, suicidal ideation, and difficulty in establishing effective relationships.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection have been withdrawn and dismissed. The Board has also remanded several claims due to the need for additional evidence.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection of a right ankle disorder has been withdrawn. The Board has also dismissed the claims for increased disability evaluation for right wrist fracture, back disorder, numbness of feet (presumably related to herbicide exposure), acquired psychiatric disorder (to include PTSD), left knee disorder, and right knee disorder.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and bilateral hearing loss, but has remanded both issues due to insufficient evidence of a stressor event related to the claimed in-service incidents.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings, service connection, and other issues are being remanded due to errors in the duty to assist. Specifically, the AOJ did not inform the Veteran that a VA Form 21-4142 was invalid and therefore unable to be processed. Additionally, new opinions are needed regarding the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder and hypertension.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for various disabilities due to outstanding records and the need for VA examinations. The Veteran's appeal is now pending again.

The Veteran's hypertension is granted as service connected. The claims for PTSD and an acquired psychiatric condition other than PTSD are remanded.