PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2013

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service connection claim for PTSD is granted as there is credible evidence supporting his claimed in-service stressors and a diagnosis of PTSD.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and a VA examination to assess the severity of the appellant's PTSD. The issues on appeal are an increased rating for PTSD and TDIU.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD and major depression is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and additional treatment records.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for PTSD and associated conditions was denied as there is no evidence of a prior claim or entitlement to benefits before March 14, 2005.

The Veteran's PTSD is manifested by symptoms such as flattened affect, circumstantial speech, panic attacks more than once a week, difficulty understanding complex commands, impaired judgment, and disturbances of motivation and mood. The Board finds that the criteria for an initial evaluation of 50 percent for PTSD have been met.

The Veteran's PTSD with depressive disorder, NOS, has been characterized by occupational and social impairment, with deficiencies in most areas consistent with the criteria for a 70 percent disability rating. The appeal is granted as the Veteran is entitled to an initial 50 percent disability rating.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation (SMC) based on need for regular aid and attendance of another person or by reason of being housebound, finding that he did not meet the criteria for either benefit due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board finds that the Veteran's exposure to combat stressors during his service in Vietnam, combined with credible supporting evidence of such stressors and a link between current symptomatology and these events, establishes service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD).

The Board found that the Veteran's psychiatric diagnoses, including PTSD, major depression, schizotypal personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, polysubstance abuse, bipolar disorder, impulse control disorder, and pedophilia, were not caused by or aggravated by his service. The preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that any of these conditions are related to his military service.

The Board granted a rating of 50 percent for PTSD prior to June 1, 2006, effective from March 27, 1998.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the claim of entitlement to service connection for headaches before a decision was made.

The Veteran's PTSD was manifested by moderate social impairment resulting from social isolation and anger/rage reactions, and severe vocational impairment productive of an unstable work history without total isolation or incapacitating symptoms causing repudiation of reality with disturbed thought processes, confusion, panic, or explosions of anger in a profound retreat from mature behavior. The Board granted an initial 70 percent rating for PTSD for the period from July 8, 1986 through April 30, 1992 and from July 1, 1992 to May 10, 1994.

The Board has ordered a remand to reconcile the Veteran's diagnoses of PTSD with his previous diagnosis by the VA examiner. The claim will be reconsidered based on this new information.

The Veteran's PTSD has been shown to be manifested by a depressed mood; anxiety; suspiciousness; panic attacks that occur weekly or less often; chronic sleep impairment; 'memory loss for names of close relatives, own occupation, or own name'; impaired judgment; gross impairment in thought processes or communication; disturbance of motivation and mood; difficulty establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships; difficulty in adapting to stressful circumstances including work or a work-like setting; an inability to establish and to maintain effective relationships; obsessional rituals which interfere with routine activities; impaired impulse control such as unprovoked irritability with periods of violence; a persistent danger of hurting himself or others; and Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scores of 50 to 70. The Board finds that the Veteran's PTSD more nearly assignment of an initial 100 percent schedular evaluation.

The Veteran seeks service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, specifically posttraumatic stress disorder. The case is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and readjudicate the claim.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and clarifying the nature of a reported sexual assault during active duty.

The Board has determined that further development is needed to determine the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD. The case is therefore REMANDED for these purposes.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of the record, including obtaining outstanding VA medical records.

The Veteran's PTSD disability is currently rated at 50 percent, reflecting occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU is being remanded to the Director of Compensation Service for consideration under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(b) due to his service-connected PTSD, degenerative joint disease and pes planus, left foot, and L4-L5 status post diskectomy with degenerative changes.