PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2013

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination. The Veteran's claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric condition remains on appeal.

The Board has granted an initial rating of 70 percent for PTSD, but no higher.

The Board has remanded the case due to missing treatment records and will consider them in their decision.

The Board has determined that the medical treatment provided to the Veteran on September 8, 2007, did not meet the criteria for emergency care under VA regulations and therefore does not qualify for payment or reimbursement.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn due to the increase in his PTSD disability rating from 30% to 70%, effective August 29, 2008. The issue of entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected PTSD is also resolved as he wishes to withdraw this appeal.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have an acquired psychiatric disorder that had onset during or as a result of service. Therefore, his claim for service connection is denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's PTSD warrants a disability rating of 70 percent, reflecting significant occupational and social impairment. The issue of entitlement to TDIU is also granted.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, compression fractures of the low and middle back, degenerative disc disease, and a right leg disability secondary to his lower and middle back disabilities. The reasons were not provided in detail.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD, dysthymic disorder, and recurrent major depressive disorder in remission has not resulted in total occupational and social impairment at any time during the initial rating period. Therefore, a higher disability rating is denied.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD does not preclude all forms of substantially gainful employment consistent with his educational background and occupational experience. The Board finds that the criteria for a TDIU are not met.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD with a rating of 100% effective December 2, 2008. The Veteran's claim was not earlier than this date.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated medical records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected PTSD.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the criteria for a TDIU have been met.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder to include PTSD due to new and material evidence submitted since the last final denial. The case is remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, major depressive disorder, and anxiety is granted. The Board finds that the Veteran has a current diagnosis of these conditions which are related to his military service. For the bilateral feet condition, a new VA examination is needed as the previous one did not address the Veteran's assertions regarding the origin of his bone spurs during service.

The Board found that the interruption of vocational rehabilitation benefits was proper and that achievement of a vocational goal is not reasonably feasible for purposes of entitlement to vocational rehabilitation under Chapter 31.

The Board finds that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of hepatitis C and there is no evidence linking his claimed conditions to active military service. The Veteran's PTSD may be related to in-service assault, but further examination is needed to determine if it is related to combat support operations.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including requesting an addendum opinion from the VA psychiatrist and clarifying the VA orthopaedic examination report. The issues of service connection for acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and depression) and a disability rating in excess of 20 percent for service-connected toe injuries are pending.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was denied as there is no current diagnosis of PTSD in the medical records.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeal for service connection of a psychiatric disability, to include PTSD.