PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2013

The Board is remanding the case for additional development, including a VA examination to determine if hypertension is related to service-connected ischemic heart disease or exposure to Agent Orange. The Veteran's PTSD may also be considered in relation to his hypertension.

The Board finds that the Veteran was unemployable due to service-connected disabilities since March 1996, and grants an effective date of March 25, 1996 for the award of a TDIU.

The Veteran's PTSD was initially rated at 30 percent prior to September 27, 2011. From that date, the rating has been increased to 50 percent.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD and found that the Veteran's current diagnosis is related to her in-service personal assault. The issue of compensation under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for a right eye disability remains pending due to additional development being required.

The appeal has been withdrawn by the appellant before the Board could make a decision.

The Veteran's PTSD has resulted in deficiencies in work, thinking and mood due to passive suicidal ideations, intrusive thoughts and distressing dreams, avoidance behavior, a sense of foreshortened future, anhedonia, sleep disturbance, irritability, impaired concentration and focus, hypervigilance, exaggerated startle response, social isolation, generalized anxiety with weekly panic attacks, emotional numbing, distrust of people, anger outbursts, decreased libido, difficulty in adapting to stressful circumstances and an inability to establish and maintain work relations. As of February 1, 2008, the Veteran's PTSD has met the percentage requirement for award of a TDIU.

The Veteran's PTSD was initially rated at 30 percent prior to September 2, 2005 and increased to 50 percent effective September 2, 2005. The RO then increased the rating to 70 percent effective June 12, 2006.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current psychiatric disorder, and any diagnosed conditions are not related to service.

The Board has granted an earlier effective date of February 23, 2004 for the grant of service connection for PTSD. The Veteran's claim was reopened based on new and material evidence received after a previous denial in June 2005. The other issues were denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his claims, including obtaining Social Security Administration records and scheduling him for VA examinations to evaluate the severity of his service-connected disabilities.

The Board found that the Veteran does not meet the diagnostic criteria for PTSD and his acquired psychiatric disorder did not manifest in service or for many years thereafter and has not been shown to be causally related to his military service.

The Board found that there is no competent diagnosis of PTSD and the Veteran's psychiatric disorder, to include schizophrenia, was not shown during service or until years after service, and any diagnosed psychiatric disorder has not been related to any verified aspect of the Veteran's period of service.

The Board determined that new and material evidence had been submitted to reopen the claim for service connection for left ear hearing loss, which was subsequently granted.,Service connection for PTSD was established based on credible lay testimony of in-service stressors.

The Veteran's PTSD was rated at 30 percent prior to April 8, 2010. The Board granted a higher rating of 70 percent effective from that date.

The Veteran's service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board finds that this rating adequately reflects his current level of disability.

The Board has determined that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran has PTSD and depressive disorder incurred during service, including from exposure to traumatic events involving dead and injured soldiers in Saudi Arabia. Service connection for these conditions is granted.

The Veteran's prostate cancer is rated at 100 percent, and his remaining service-connected disabilities have a combined disability rating of at least 60 percent. Therefore, the claim for a TDIU prior to October 19, 2010 is dismissed as moot.

The Veteran's claim for higher SMC based on the need for aid and attendance has been denied as he does not meet the criteria for such benefits due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for psychiatric disabilities, including DID and PTSD. The evidence received since the June 2003 SOC raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating these claims.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 50 percent since November 5, 2007. The symptoms include intrusive thoughts, nightmares, flashbacks, avoidance behavior, and difficulty concentrating.