PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2014

The Board found that the Veteran did not engage in combat and his claimed stressor has not been independently verified. The preponderance of evidence is against finding a current disability related to service.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including a vocational examination and re-adjudication of the TDIU claim.

The Veteran's PTSD is service-connected as it resulted from stressors experienced during active duty.,There is no evidence to support a connection between the Veteran's sleep apnea and vertigo with his service. The Board finds that these conditions are not related to his service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to obtain and maintain substantially gainful employment consistent with his educational and occupational background, warranting a TDIU.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA and non-VA treatment records, as well as verifying the Veteran's reported stressors from basic training. The appeal is now pending again with the AOJ.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board has granted TDIU based on his combined rating of 100 percent.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including nonobstructive coronary artery disease (CAD), PTSD, GERD with Barrett's esophagus, and malaria, meet the schedular threshold requirements for consideration of a TDIU rating. The Board finds that these conditions render him unemployable.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and Dysthymic Disorder.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA and private medical records, verifying stressors, and scheduling a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any psychiatric disability present.

The Board found that the termination of VA compensation benefits from April [redacted], 2007, to September [redacted], 2007, based on the Veteran's status as a fugitive felon was improper and he is entitled to those VA compensation benefits.

The Veteran's cause of death was determined to be adult respiratory distress syndrome, with diabetes mellitus type I and arteriosclerotic heart disease as contributing conditions. The VA examiner found no evidence suggesting a positive correlation between the Veteran's PTSD and his development of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, ARDS, or arteriosclerotic heart disease.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 70 percent disabling from March 26, 2012. The VA determined that the disability picture results in total occupational and social impairment.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a hearing before the Board of Veterans' Appeals. The claims for hepatitis C, posttraumatic stress disorder, and prostate cancer are all related.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and arranging a VA psychiatric evaluation to determine the current severity of his PTSD and whether he is unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation due to his service-connected disability.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to allow for a VA examination and further development of his PTSD claim. The issue remains about the initial disability rating for PTSD.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 70 percent since December 25, 2008. He is granted a TDIU based solely on his PTSD and also qualifies for SMC at the housebound rate effective December 25, 2008.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, is related to his active duty service and has granted service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim of service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and depression. The Veteran's military service in Panama is confirmed, and his diagnoses of PTSD with depression and panic disorder are related to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for further adjudication of a claim regarding an earlier effective date for service connection of PTSD.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent, effective January 24, 2014. The appeal for a higher rating remains pending.