PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2012

The Veteran's chronic sleep apnea has been granted a 50 percent disability rating, effective March 4, 2009. The PTSD remains rated at 30 percent.

The Veteran's skin condition involving the left side of his face is currently rated at 80 percent, which is the highest schedular evaluation available under the Diagnostic Codes for scars. The effective date remains March 16, 2008.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD and a depressive disability, finding that these conditions originated during active service due to the Veteran's experiences in Haiti during Tropical Storm Gordon.

The Board has remanded the service connection issues for further development and review. The Veteran is presumed to have a psychiatric disability (PTSD) as well as muscle aches and soreness due to service-connected disabilities, but no respiratory or sexual dysfunction was found. Hip, heel, and upper respiratory disabilities are not currently demonstrated.

The Board has granted service connection for a headache disorder, claimed as migraine headaches, and an initial disability rating of 70 percent for PTSD with alcoholism. The Veteran's symptoms are found to be at least in equipoise with the criteria for these conditions.

The Board granted service connection for a chronic acquired psychiatric disorder, to include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), for purposes of accrued benefits.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed psychiatric, knee, and unspecified joint disabilities are not related to his active service. The claims for these conditions have been denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling compensation examinations to reassess the severity of his prostate cancer residuals and PTSD.

The RO denied the claim for individual unemployability due to service-connected PTSD, as the Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA and private treatment records, conducting a psychiatric examination, and readjudicating the claim based on all evidence.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 50 percent since August 6, 2009. His bilateral hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating prior to October 27, 2011 and meets the criteria for a 10 percent rating as of that date. Service connection for fungal infections of the big toenails and left hand is denied.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for an increased rating for PTSD, indicating satisfaction with the current rating.

The Veteran's cause of death was due to circulatory collapse, caused by probable acute myocardial infarction and coronary atherosclerotic heart disease. The Board finds that PTSD did not contribute substantially or materially to the Veteran's cause of death.

The Veteran's PTSD results in occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks, although generally functioning satisfactorily.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a more contemporaneous VA examination of his service-connected PTSD, as well as obtaining any recent medical records.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service connection claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, should be remanded due to incomplete information regarding his in-service stressors and need for a comprehensive mental health evaluation.

The Veteran's psychiatric disability, specifically PTSD with dysthymia, has been rated at 30 percent since February 29, 2008. The Board finds that the evidence supports a higher evaluation of 70 percent.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an innocently acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination and further development of his claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's PTSD warrants a 70 percent evaluation, effective from January 13, 2009. The TDIU claim is also granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD and a generalized anxiety disorder, requires additional development due to incomplete records and need for clarification of stressor allegations.