PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2014

The Veteran's PTSD was manifested by occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas, including suicidal ideation, hallucinations, neglect of personal appearance and hygiene, short-term memory loss, panic attacks as often as twice a week, and difficulty adapting to stressful circumstances.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 50 percent, warranting a higher rating than the initial 30 percent assigned. The issue of TDIU remains pending.

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

The Veteran's PTSD results in significant occupational and social impairment, warranting a 50 percent disability rating.

The Veteran's petition to reopen his claim for service connection for a nervous condition was denied in August 2002. He submitted new and material evidence, including VA treatment records showing a current diagnosis of PTSD, which led the Board to grant his request to reopen the claim.,Service connection is granted for an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD), bilateral lower extremity cold injury residuals, and left ear hearing loss.

The Board found that the Veteran does not meet the diagnostic criteria for PTSD and thus, service connection is denied.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining a VA psychiatric examination and updating the Veteran's treatment records. The claim will be reviewed again to determine if an initial disability rating in excess of 50 percent is warranted for PTSD.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD with alcohol abuse primarily manifests with symptoms of impaired sleep, anxiety, depression, and social impairment. However, there is no evidence of occupational or social impairment that would warrant a higher evaluation.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to insufficient opinions from the VA examiner regarding the Veteran's psychiatric disabilities, specifically PTSD. The Veteran is asked to submit a statement from his VA treatment provider and another examination is required.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to obtain and retain substantially gainful employment.

The Board has determined that further development is needed to determine if the Veteran's current PTSD is related to his military service. The case is therefore being remanded for additional examination and review of records.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations to assess the severity of his service-connected PTSD and degenerative disc disease at L4-S1.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including bilateral hearing loss, diabetes mellitus with erectile dysfunction, PTSD, coronary artery disease, connective tissue disorder, tinnitus, and appendectomy, produce sufficient impairment to make him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has recharacterized the issue as entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD. The case is REMANDED due to incomplete medical records and the need for a VA examination.

The Veteran's PTSD with alcohol abuse was rated at 30 percent prior to March 11, 2010 and at 70 percent thereafter. The TBI with headache residuals were rated at 10 percent prior to September 18, 2013 and at 40 percent thereafter.,Both conditions have been denied for higher ratings.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was denied as there is no current diagnosis of PTSD in the medical records, and his lay statements do not meet the criteria for a diagnosis.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for scheduling a personal hearing due to his inability to attend early morning hearings.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 50 percent since April 2007. The Board finds that throughout the period on appeal, the criteria for a rating of 70 percent have been met.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to determine if his current psychiatric conditions are related to service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of PTSD was granted with an effective date of January 29, 2010. The Board found that the earliest date of claim was December 18, 2008.