PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2013

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have PTSD and his other diagnosed psychiatric disabilities are not shown to be etiologically related to service. The claims for right knee disability, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, hypertension, and bilateral leg cramps were withdrawn by the Veteran during a hearing before the Board. Service connection is denied for an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD, depression, and a mood disorder), right lower extremity disability, left lower extremity disability, low back disability, right knee disability, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, hypertension, and bilateral leg cramps.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA records and scheduling a new examination to determine if the Veteran has any diagnosed psychiatric disability, to include PTSD and depression. The claim will be readjudicated after this is done.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for PTSD and determined that new evidence supports a current diagnosis of PTSD, which is related to an in-service sexual assault. The Veteran's PTSD is therefore granted.

The Veteran's PTSD has been productive of occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity, warranting a 50% disability rating since March 28, 2007. The evidence does not support an increased rating.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD with night sweats and sleep disturbances has been found to result in occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity, warranting a 50 percent rating.

The Veteran's PTSD has been characterized by an inability to establish and maintain effective relationships, social withdrawal, hypervigilance, sleep impairment, mood disturbance, difficulty adapting to work and tasks, resulting in total occupational and social impairment. The Board finds that the criteria for a 100 percent disability rating (total) for PTSD have been met throughout the entire rating period.

The Veteran requested withdrawal of his appeal for an increased initial rating for PTSD, and the Board dismissed the appeal as a result.

The Board has ordered a remand for further development and examination to determine the nature of the Veteran's psychiatric disability, including whether it is related to his service events. The case will be returned to the Board for readjudication.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD with anxiety and depression was denied by the Board, which remanded the matter due to a request for a video-conference hearing.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for further research into the veracity of the Veteran's reported stressors in service. The claim will be reconsidered based on this additional information.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office for further action, including scheduling a videoconference hearing. The issue of entitlement to TDIU has been raised by the record and needs to be addressed.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, is being remanded due to the inadequacy of a previous VA examination and the need for additional evidence. The case will be returned to the Board for further review.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development and consideration of his claims, including a psychiatric disability claim and TDIU issue.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 30 percent disabling, reflecting occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform tasks.

The Veteran's PTSD with major depressive disorder is currently rated at 50 percent, and the claim for an increased rating was denied. The Board also found that hypertension should not be service-connected.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for the VA to obtain additional treatment records and then readjudicate his claims based on all available evidence.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims regarding his PTSD and respiratory disorder, finding that he did not timely file a notice of disagreement for these matters. The claim for service connection for a respiratory disorder is reopened based on new evidence received since the January 2003 denial.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining Social Security Administration records and a VA examination to assess his PTSD. The claims will be adjudicated again after the additional development.

The Board has determined that further development is needed to fully and fairly assess the Veteran's claims, including obtaining additional medical records and clarifying his hearing preference.

From November 8, 2006 to September 19, 2011, the Veteran's PTSD was rated at 30 percent.,For the period from September 20, 2011, the Veteran's PTSD was rated at 50 percent.