PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2014

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at a 50 percent disability evaluation, reflecting significant occupational and social impairment.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, is not service-connected due to lack of evidence supporting a diagnosis and nexus.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not meet the criteria for service connection for PTSD or an acquired mental disorder other than PTSD, to include anxiety disorder NOS. The Veteran's claimed conditions have been denied.

The Veteran's PTSD symptoms have been rated as 30 percent disabling since January 2, 2011 and 50 percent disabling beginning on June 25, 2012. The Board finds that the evidence supports a continuous 50 percent rating for PTSD.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claims for service connection for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. Service connection is granted for tinnitus due to exposure to acoustic trauma in active service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to address his claims of service connection for various conditions, including PTSD and depression, as secondary to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's PTSD is related to events during his military service and has granted service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was denied in March 1985, but granted retroactively to December 1984. The appellant is not entitled to Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) because she did not meet the eligibility criteria as her birthday was on or before the effective date of permanent total service-connected disability.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to incomplete medical opinions and missing records. The Veteran's claims will be reconsidered based on all available evidence.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for PTSD is denied as he did not meet all eligibility criteria for the liberalizing law adding the diagnostic code for PTSD on April 11, 1980.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied due to the finding that his MVA was a result of willful misconduct. The Board is remanding the case for further clarification and examination.

The Veteran's appeal is being returned to the Board for additional examinations and consideration due to concerns about the adequacy of previous evaluations, particularly regarding need for aid and attendance and loss of use of limbs.

The Veteran seeks service connection for depression and PTSD. The Board has expanded the claim to include an acquired psychiatric disorder, which may encompass any mental disability that the Veteran describes or is diagnosed with. The appeal will be remanded due to a lack of verification of the in-service stressor related to his sergeant's wife's suicide.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. The Board found no evidence of an innocently acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, or hand tremors due to service. Service connection was also not granted for the claimed disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was reopened and granted effective May 31, 2007. The original filing date of August 1998 is not considered as the effective date since it came after the final denial in October 2000.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD), a multi-level back condition, bilateral heel spurs and multiple joint arthralgias, and bilateral pes planus, hallux valgus and hammertoes have all been denied. The Board found that the Veteran does not meet the criteria for service connection due to lack of diagnosis of PTSD at any point during the appeal period.

The Veteran's service-connected mental disabilities, including PTSD and depression, have more nearly approximated occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity due to symptoms such as irritability, anger, resistance to authority, depressed mood and affect, social isolation, anhedonia, low self-esteem, impaired sleep, feelings of hopelessness, intrusive nightmares, some memory loss, fair insight and judgment, occasional paranoia, and orientation to person, time, and place, without delusions, hallucinations, suicidal ideation, obsessive or ritualistic behaviors, mania or psychosis, psychomotor agitations or retardation, illogical, obscure, or irrelevant speech, impaired impulse control, spatial disorientation, or panic attacks.

The Board has granted the Veteran's request to reopen his claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including PTSD. The evidence received since the last final denial supports this reopening.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling the Veteran with a VA psychiatric examination to evaluate his service connection claim for PTSD. Additionally, he will be scheduled for a VA dental examination to assess the current severity of his TMJ.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to inadequate examination reports and conflicting evidence regarding the Veteran's claimed conditions.