PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2012

The Board finds that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including PTSD and schizophrenia, are related to his service in Vietnam. The claim is granted.

The Veteran is unable to maintain substantially gainful employment due to her service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and carpal tunnel syndrome. The Board finds that the criteria for Total Disability Evaluation based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) have been met from December 15, 2006 to November 15, 2010.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD prevented him from securing and following substantially gainful employment beginning on February 20, 2007. The effective date for the TDIU rating is set at February 20, 2007.

The Veteran's PTSD has resulted in total occupational and social impairment throughout the appeal period, warranting a 100 percent rating.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and for an addendum to the VA examination report. The claim will be readjudicated after these actions.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD with major depressive disorder has not met the criteria for a higher initial rating in excess of 70 percent during the entire initial rating period.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability, and therefore, denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's PTSD is found to be related to her military service, specifically a sexual assault she experienced during her active duty. The Board has granted service connection for PTSD.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain missing VA treatment records and schedule him for a new psychiatric examination to determine the current severity of his PTSD.

The Veteran's PTSD has resulted in significant occupational and social impairment, with deficiencies in most areas such as work, family relations, judgment, thinking, and mood. The Board has granted a 70 percent disability evaluation for PTSD effective April 21, 2009.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD and granted it, finding that there is sufficient evidence to support a diagnosis of PTSD related to an in-service stressor.

The Veteran withdrew their appeal before the Board could make a decision on the increased rating for PTSD.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including providing corrective notice on how to substantiate PTSD claims and scheduling a VA psychiatric examination at the closest available facility.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, or obstructive sleep apnea that is service-connected. The evidence does not support a finding of service connection for either condition.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for the claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hand and shoulder disabilities, as well as for an acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD). The case is dismissed.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current PTSD was not incurred in active service and may not be presumed to have had its onset in active service. The evidence does not support a finding of direct service connection for PTSD.

The Board has remanded the claims for additional development due to the failure to discuss VA outpatient treatment records in the Supplemental Statement of the Case.

The Veteran was granted a TDIU effective November 7, 2011. The Board found that the evidence is in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment prior to this date.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the severity of his PTSD. The TDIU claim will also be considered.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for various psychiatric disabilities, including PTSD and other conditions like Major Depression and Schizoaffective Disorder, Depressive Type, is being remanded due to the need for additional development of his claims file.