PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2010

The Veteran's PTSD is currently evaluated as 30 percent disabling, and the Board finds that a higher rating of 50 percent is warranted based on his symptoms. The appeal for TDIU was withdrawn by the Veteran.

The Veteran's unauthorized medical expenses incurred on August 31, 2006 at St. Vincent Medical Center in Toledo were not reimbursable due to lack of prior authorization and the fact that VA facilities were feasibly available.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was granted with an effective date of May 31, 2006.

The Veteran's PTSD is manifested by occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas, but not by total occupational and social impairment. The criteria for a 70 percent rating have been met.

The Veteran's PTSD is productive of occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks due to symptoms such as: depressed mood, anxiety, suspiciousness, chronic sleep impairment, and mild memory loss. The criteria for a 30 percent rating for PTSD have been met.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining service treatment records from any confirmed periods of reserve service and issuing a supplemental statement of the case regarding the issue of entitlement to service connection for PTSD.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment, and the Board has granted a TDIU.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for his service connection for PTSD, finding that no prior informal claim was received within one year of his separation from service.

The Veteran's death was attributed to respiratory insufficiency and advanced dementia. The appellant contends that his service-connected PTSD aggravated these conditions, contributing to his death.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to outstanding VA treatment records related to psychiatric treatment.

The Board has remanded the case due to procedural deficiencies and a need for further development, including stressor verification and a VA psychiatric examination.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been granted, but a new examination is required due to the worsening of his condition since the last VA examination. The Veteran also needs updated VA treatment records and consideration of entitlement to total disability rating based on individual unemployability.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD is characterized by symptoms such as insomnia, intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, nightmares, depression, impairment of concentration and memory, disturbances in motivation and mood, difficulty in establishing work and social relationships, paranoia, anger outbursts, auditory hallucinations, hypervigilance, exaggerated startle response, social avoidance, depression, anxiety, survivor's guilt, rumination, and irritability. The Veteran's global assessment of functioning (GAF) score ranges from 50 to 65, indicating an overall chronic and moderately severe nature.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for PTSD was dismissed due to his death.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development and readjudication, including consideration of the Court's holding in Clemons v. Shinseki, 23 Vet. App. 1 (2009), which requires that the Board consider all diagnosed psychiatric disorders when determining whether service connection is warranted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for further consideration of his claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities, including consideration of any new evidence submitted since the April 2010 supplemental statement of the case.

The Veteran's service connection claim for PTSD is granted due to the balance of positive and negative evidence, with the benefit of doubt being applied in favor of the Veteran.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection on the issues of hypertension, PTSD, a pre-thyroid disorder, and sinusitis/upper respiratory infections have been dismissed as he requested withdrawal of his appeal.

The Board has remanded the case for further development of the Veteran's claims, including obtaining employment physical examination records and mental health treatment records. The Veteran will be scheduled for a VA PTSD examination to determine if his claimed PTSD is related to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's PTSD is incurred in service and granted service connection. The issues of hypertension, asthma, and prostatic hypertrophy secondary to Agent Orange exposure are also addressed.