PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2013

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including searching for court martial records and other relevant evidence.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, tinnitus, and bilateral hearing loss, are not of such severity as to prevent him from securing or following any substantially gainful employment.

The Board has ordered a new VA examination to clarify whether the Veteran meets the criteria for PTSD and to determine if his current acquired psychiatric disabilities are related to service. The case is being remanded for further development.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to provide a new VA compensation examination for his PTSD and obtain outstanding treatment records. The claim of entitlement to an initial rating higher than 50 percent for PTSD will be readjudicated after the additional development.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 70 percent, effective from the date of his initial claim in October 29, 2007. The rating is based on occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas due to symptoms such as sleep disturbance, intrusive thoughts, near-continuous depression, impaired impulse control, difficulty adapting to stressful circumstances including at work, and an inability to establish effective relationships.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's previously denied claim of service connection for PTSD and finds that new and material evidence has been received. The Veteran experienced a personal assault during active service, which he believes caused or contributed to his PTSD.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for PTSD is addressed in the REMAND portion of this decision. The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss as there was no evidence of continuity of symptomatology since service and the current hearing loss did not meet the criteria for presumptive service connection.

The Veteran's TBI, PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and post traumatic headaches are all rated at their maximum levels. The Veteran is granted a higher initial evaluation for his PTSD from July 29, 2010 to December 14, 2011, and since December 15, 2011. He is also granted TDIU.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is being remanded to the Montgomery, Alabama RO for further development.

The Board has granted a 50 percent initial disability rating for PTSD for the entire appeal period, finding that the severity of symptoms more nearly approximates reduced reliability and productivity due to depression, anxiety, agoraphobia, sleep disturbance, disturbances in motivation, poor concentration, impairment of short term memory, difficulty adapting to stressful circumstances, and difficulty establishing effective work and social relationships.

The Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disability has been shown to be productive of no more than occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas including work, school, his relationship with his wife, and mood due to symptoms including Iraq-related recurrent nightmares and intrusive thoughts; anxiety; hypervigilance with paranoia; obsessive compulsive behavior including obsessions surrounding order and symmetry and counting rituals involving multiples of three which interfere with routine activities; panic attacks; difficulty in adapting to stressful circumstances associated with work and school.

The Veteran is found to be unemployable due to service-connected disabilities, specifically PTSD and diabetes mellitus. The Board grants a TDIU for the entire appellate period.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD, but the underlying matter of his entitlement to service connection for acquired psychiatric disorders other than PTSD remains pending. The case is being REMANDED to obtain additional medical records and arrange a mental health examination.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and development of his claims, including a PTSD examination and an employment impact assessment.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 30 percent, the maximum schedular rating available under Diagnostic Code 9411. The VA examiner found no evidence of suicidal ideation or hallucinations, and noted that the Veteran had a normal GAF score.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional VA treatment records and to schedule him for a VA examination to assess the severity of his PTSD. The issue of TDIU will also be addressed.

The Veteran's claim for an increased disability rating and TDIU benefits is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and providing a current VA examination.

The Veteran's PTSD was initially rated at 30 percent, but the Board found that from October 4, 2013, his disability warranted a higher evaluation of 70 percent.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD. The Veteran's current diagnosed PTSD is linked to her reported incidents of military sexual trauma (MST) during active duty.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased evaluation for PTSD has been dismissed due to his death during the pendency of the appeal.