PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2013

The Board has determined that the Veteran's character of discharge from August 9, 1969 to May 21, 1971 does not constitute a bar to VA benefits. The issue of service connection for PTSD remains pending and requires further development.

The Veteran's PTSD with depression was initially rated at 30 percent prior to July 13, 2006. From that date, he received a 70 percent rating.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, finding that there is no evidence of a current disability related to his service.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 70 percent since September 15, 2011.

The Board has granted a non-compensable (10%) evaluation for the Veteran's right thumb disability, finding that his symptoms are manifested by pain and limited range of motion without other significant impairment.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining a medical opinion from a VA cardiologist to determine if the Veteran's cause of death was related to his service-connected conditions or any underlying causes.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA and private treatment records, verifying claimed stressors, and scheduling examinations to determine if the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability and right knee condition are related to service.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals for tinnitus and PTSD, thus the cases are dismissed.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including new VA examinations to evaluate the current severity of his service-connected PTSD and degenerative changes of his lumbar spine. The case will be returned to the Board after these issues are adjudicated.

The Veteran's cataracts are not caused by or aggravated by his service-connected type II diabetes mellitus. The Board finds that the preponderance of evidence shows that the Veteran's current PTSD disability does not render him unemployable due to all of his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's stressor of incoming enemy fire is verified, and he should be afforded a VA examination to determine if his PTSD or any other psychiatric disability is related to this stressor. The case will then be readjudicated.

The Veteran's PTSD prior to May 7, 2010 resulted in occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent from July 12, 2012. The Board found that the condition has caused total occupational and social impairment since February 22, 2010.

The Veteran's PTSD is found to be related to events during active service, and the claim for service connection is granted. The claims for hypertension, back disability, and blood disability are remanded due to lack of a Statement of the Case.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to concerns about the sufficiency of evidence regarding a claimed military sexual assault and its impact on the Veteran's psychiatric conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and a psychiatric examination. The TDIU claim is also being remanded.

The Veteran's PTSD caused total social and occupational impairment prior to October 24, 2003.,An initial 100 percent disability rating for PTSD was granted effective from the date of the claim.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating of his service-connected PTSD is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and consideration of additional evidence.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 50 percent since July 28, 2009. The case is being remanded for additional development including obtaining medical records and a VA examination to assess the severity of his PTSD.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent, which reflects occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity. The current evaluation adequately captures the severity of his disability.