PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2013

The Board has granted service connection for a skin disorder (flat warts), bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. Service connection for the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability is also granted.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death. The Board does not have jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this claim.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, is being remanded due to the need for additional VA examinations and treatment records review.

The Veteran's appeal is for a higher initial rating for his anxiety disorder NOS, not service connection for PTSD. The Board finds that the current rating of 30 percent adequately reflects the severity of his disability.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development of his claims, including obtaining medical records and providing a VA psychiatric examination to assess the severity of his PTSD and any diagnosed alcohol abuse/dependency. The TDIU claim will also be developed.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and MDD, is being remanded due to the need for a comprehensive VA examination to determine if his current psychiatric diagnoses are related to his period of active service.

The Board has reopened the claim of entitlement to service connection for PTSD and granted service connection for an anxiety disorder not otherwise specified. The issues of service connection for PTSD and an acquired psychiatric disorder (to include PTSD, anxiety disorder, and depression) are addressed in the REMAND portion.

The Veteran's initial PTSD rating has been increased to 50 percent, effective April 1, 2010. The case is being remanded for further development and examination.

The Veteran's appeal is being returned to the Board for additional development due to inadequate notice of a VA examination and other procedural issues.

The Board is remanding the case to obtain Social Security Administration (SSA) records related to the Veteran's claim for SSDI benefits, as these records may be relevant to his pending VA claim.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU is being remanded due to insufficient medical evidence on the combined effect of his service-connected disabilities. A VA examination will be conducted to assess whether he is unemployable due to PTSD, hearing loss, and tinnitus.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for his anxiety disorder, to include PTSD, was denied by the Board.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD was manifested by symptoms of anxiety; intrusive thoughts; startle response and other symptoms of hyperarousal; anger/irritability; evidence of near-continuous panic or depression affecting the ability to function independently, appropriately and effectively; and occupational and social impairment to include evidence of difficulty in adapting to stressful circumstances (including work or a worklike setting) and inability to establish and maintain effective relationships. For the period from January 25, 2008, to November 17, 2011, an initial rating of no more than 70 percent for PTSD is granted.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 30 percent prior to January 20, 2012 and increased to 70 percent effective January 20, 2012.,The Veteran is also service-connected for TDIU.

The Board has granted service connection for heart arrhythmias with preventricular contractions, finding that the Veteran's current condition is related to his active service. Service connection for PTSD was denied due to lack of confirmed stressors and inconsistent reports from the Veteran.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 70 percent since July 17, 2008. The symptoms described do not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including scheduling a single VA examination to assess the Veteran's ability to maintain employment due to his service-connected disabilities. The claims for hepatitis and PTSD are also being considered as they are inextricably intertwined with the TDIU claim.

The Board has granted the claim of entitlement to service connection for PTSD, finding that it is related to in-service stressors.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of PTSD and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal for an initial higher rating and a disability rating for PTSD has been withdrawn.