PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2013

The Veteran's psychiatric disorders, including PTSD and depression, were made worse by his military service.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 70 percent since April 30, 2009.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a review of the service treatment records and an addendum opinion from the February 2010 VA examiner regarding the relationship between his bilateral hearing loss and military noise exposure.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination and consideration of his TDIU claim.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD was rated at 10 percent from June 16, 2007 to June 12, 2011 and upgraded to 30 percent effective June 13, 2011. The Board found that the evidence supported a 50 percent rating for this period.

The Veteran's PTSD is manifested by symptoms such as depressed mood, flattened affect, impaired short-term memory, suicidal ideation, and difficulty in maintaining effective work and social relationships. This results in mild to moderate occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an unspecified psychiatric condition was reopened, and the Board found that there is at least a reasonable possibility of establishing service connection for his current diagnoses of major depressive disorder, PTSD, panic disorder with agoraphobia secondary to PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder, and alcohol dependence.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any currently present acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Board has determined that the Veteran currently suffers from PTSD and that his current condition is related to his in-service stressors. The claim for service connection for tinnitus will be remanded for a new VA examination.

The Board has remanded the case for further development to address service connection for a heart disorder and TDIU due to PTSD, tinnitus, and hearing loss. The Veteran's claim is being reviewed again as part of this process.

The Board has ordered the case to be remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated VA and private treatment records, scheduling a VA psychiatric examination, and providing VCAA notice regarding TDIU claims.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied, and his claim for an increased rating for PTSD was also denied. The decision did not address the skin disorder or low back issues.

The Veteran has been diagnosed with PTSD and a mood disorder, both linked to an in-service personal assault. The Board finds sufficient circumstantial evidence to corroborate the Veteran's assertions of physical assault during basic training.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 30 percent, and the Board has granted a higher rating of 50 percent. The right foot disorder was found to be incurred during ACDUTRA, while the left foot disorder was aggravated by his service-connected right foot disorder. Hypertension was not shown in service or related to service.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD with depressive disorder, not otherwise specified, is manifested by occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity due to symptoms of depressed mood, anxiety, suspiciousness, chronic sleep impairment with nightmares, mild memory loss, restricted affect, frequent panic attacks, passive suicidal thoughts and disturbances of mood or motivation. The criteria for a 50 percent rating have been met.

The Board has expanded the issue to include any acquired psychiatric disability due to Clemons v. Shinseki, 23 Vet. App. (2009). The Veteran is seeking service connection for PTSD and other diagnosed mental health conditions.

The Board has ordered a new examination to determine the etiology of the Veteran's psychiatric disorders, including PTSD and gender identity disorder. The case is being remanded for further development.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn due to his satisfaction with the assigned evaluations for PTSD.

The Veteran's appeals for an increased rating for PTSD and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional development of his claims.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional VA treatment records and to schedule her for a VA examination to determine the nature, extent, onset and etiology of any hearing loss found to be present. Additionally, she will be scheduled for a VA psychiatric examination to determine the identity and etiology of any psychiatric disorder that may be present.