PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2013

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, has been denied. The Board found no current diagnosis of PTSD or any other psychiatric disorder in the record and thus cannot grant service connection. For tinnitus, the case was remanded but not yet resolved.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, is not related to his military service and denied his claim.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 30 percent prior to November 22, 2011 and 70 percent from that date. The appeal is denied as the criteria for a higher rating are not met.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to deficiencies in obtaining certain records and ensuring compliance with VA's duty to assist.

The Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus is found to be the primary cause of his neurological symptoms in the upper extremities, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and irritable bowel syndrome. Service connection for a brain tumor was not established.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral knee and foot disorders, finding that there is no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for a lung disability manifested by recurrent pneumonia. The Veteran's in-service diagnosis of pneumonia affecting the right middle lobe is considered, along with his post-service diagnoses and treatment history, to support a finding that his current lung disability was incurred during or as a result of his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability other than PTSD, to include schizophrenia, effective April 19, 2012. The Veteran was assigned a 100% rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date for a schedular 100 percent rating for PTSD is dismissed. The case is now being remanded to consider an earlier effective date for TDIU on an extraschedular basis.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a new VA examination and consideration of recent medical records.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD and an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, finding that the Veteran's symptoms are related to in-service stressors. Service connection was denied for sleep apnea.

The Board has dismissed the appeal regarding service connection for sleep apnea as the Veteran withdrew his appeal prior to a decision being made. The claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 30 percent for PTSD remains on appeal.

The claims of service connection for psychiatric disorder, gastrointestinal disorder, right knee disability and low back disability are being REMANDED to the RO for further development.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 70 percent since July 25, 2008, reflecting significant impairment in social and occupational functioning.

The appeal is being remanded due to insufficient evidence for the claims of service connection for bilateral hammer toes and increase in rating for posttraumatic stress disorder. Additional development under the duty to assist is needed.

The Veteran's PTSD was initially rated at 30 percent from April 23, 2010 to September 27, 2010. Since then, the rating has been increased to 50 percent effective January 14, 2013.

The Veteran's PTSD has been manifested by an inability to establish and maintain effective relationships, panic attacks, and depression that suggest occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas, including work, family relations, thinking, and mood. Resolving all reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor, the criteria for an initial rating of 70 percent have been met.

The Veteran's PTSD disability is currently rated at 70 percent, which meets the criteria for a higher evaluation. The Veteran's symptoms include depressed mood, impaired concentration and judgment, memory impairment, irritability, anger outbursts, sleeping impairment, social withdrawal, preoccupied thought content on financial stressor issues, suicidal thoughts, and difficulty in establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased disability rating for his service-connected PTSD was denied. The initial assigned disability rating of 30 percent is maintained.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and an updated VA examination. The Veteran's claim of service connection for a psychiatric disorder other than PTSD is now pending.