PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2013

The Board has granted a disability evaluation of 70 percent for the appellant's service-connected PTSD, effective from July 7, 2011.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining updated VA medical records and scheduling a new examination to evaluate the Veteran's current psychiatric condition. The claims of service connection for PTSD and erectile dysfunction will also be addressed.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to assess his PTSD. The claim of entitlement to TDIU will also be adjudicated.

The Board denied the Veteran's request to reopen his claim for PTSD and found that no new and material evidence had been submitted. The Veteran's service in Vietnam was not confirmed, and he did not provide any credible evidence supporting his claims.

The Board found that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder and substance abuse disorders were not incurred or aggravated by military service, nor may they be presumed to have been incurred therein.

The Board finds that the evidence is at least in relative equipoise on whether the Veteran's hepatitis C and acquired psychiatric disorder are related to service. Service connection for both conditions is granted.

The Veteran's PTSD with anxiety and depression has been granted, but the current rating of 50% is not sufficient to reflect his symptoms. The VA examiner found that his condition results in marked impairment on interpersonal relationships and vocational functioning.

The Board has remanded the case to consider whether the Veteran's PTSD symptoms have worsened since his last examination and to determine if a higher rating is warranted.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, depression, dysthymia, and schizoaffective disorder, is being remanded due to the need for further development of evidence related to stressor verification, pre-existing conditions, and current diagnoses.

The Veteran's PTSD was rated at 10 percent since June 24, 1999. The claim for a higher rating has been granted and the appellant is entitled to an increased disability rating of 70 percent for PTSD as of that date.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted as his service-connected disabilities, including PTSD with substance abuse and alcoholism, tinnitus, left varicocele, scarring secondary to facial acne, and bilateral hearing loss, render him unemployable.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unemployable prior to May 1, 2008.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 30 percent since November 18, 2005. The Board denied an evaluation in excess of 70 percent for PTSD on or after November 1, 2011.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render her unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation consistent with her education and industrial background.

The Veteran's posttraumatic stress disorder has been rated at 50 percent since July 11, 2013. This is the maximum schedular rating available for PTSD under VA's rating criteria.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not render him unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's posttraumatic stress disorder has been rated at 30 percent since the effective date of service connection, and now at 50 percent from September 17, 2012. The Board found that the disability picture more nearly approximates the criteria for a 50 percent rating.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating for PTSD, as well as his claim for TDIU were denied. The Veteran does not have right ear hearing loss or tinnitus that is service-connected. His PTSD was rated at 30% prior to November 17, 2011, but the Board found no evidence of a higher rating due to occupational and social impairment.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim for service connection for hypertension. The Veteran's PTSD is not found to be related to his hypertension, but it may have aggravated his pre-existing diabetes mellitus, type II.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the Veteran's claims, including verifying an alleged stressor and obtaining VA examinations to assess his current disabilities.