PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2014

The Veteran's claims for service connection of obstructive sleep apnea, PTSD, and migraine headaches have been granted. He is now rated at the highest possible rating (100%) for his PTSD.

The Veteran's PTSD has not resulted in total occupational and social impairment, but does have significant symptoms that warrant a 70 percent rating.

The Veteran's death was not due to his own willful misconduct, and he had a service-connected disability rated as totally disabling for at least one year immediately preceding his death. However, the appellant did not meet any of the exceptions under 38 C.F.R. § 3.22(b) that would allow for retroactive entitlement or hypothetical entitlement to DIC benefits.

The Veteran's PTSD has been found to cause occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas, warranting a 70 percent disability rating.

The Board found that the Veteran's claimed PTSD and depressive disorder are not related to his service, including as due to any in-service stressors. The preponderance of evidence is against a finding that he has these conditions as a result of military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records and scheduling VA examinations to assess the severity of his PTSD and diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a neck disability and an acquired psychiatric disability, to include PTSD, are denied. The Board finds that the Veteran does not have current disabilities of either condition.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been denied as new and material evidence has not been received to reopen the claims of hypertension, diabetes mellitus type II, a lung disorder due to mustard gas exposure, and a skin disorder due to mustard gas exposure. The Board also found that there is no credible evidence linking any current respiratory or psychiatric conditions to his service.

The Veteran's current tension-type headaches are proximately due to or the result of his service-connected disabilities, including the medications required for those disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to afford him a VA examination for his upper extremity radiculopathy and carpal tunnel syndrome, as well as an orthopedic and psychiatric examination for his low back disability and PTSD. The case will be readjudicated after all appropriate development.

The Veteran's claim for an increased initial disability rating for PTSD was granted, with a current rating of 50 percent effective May 15, 2012.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the Board is dismissing the entire appeal due to the withdrawal of all issues.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an earlier effective date and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disability, finding that the earliest date on which it was factually ascertainable that his posttraumatic stress disorder manifested by total occupational and social impairment was November 19, 2008.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD and other psychiatric disabilities, finding that the evidence did not support a link between active duty service and current psychiatric conditions.

The Veteran's skin disorder and PTSD are granted, with the skin disorder receiving a 100% rating based on presumed Agent Orange exposure. The PTSD also receives a 100% rating due to total occupational and social impairment prior to death.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension and the initial rating for PTSD, finding that there was no evidence linking these conditions to active service or a service-connected disability. The Veteran's current symptoms did not meet the criteria for higher ratings under the applicable VA rating schedule.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, asthma, and allergic rhinitis based on new evidence provided since the last denial. The Veteran now meets the threshold requirement to have these claims considered further.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for a hearing before the Board of Veterans' Appeals.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including scheduling a VA psychiatric examination and obtaining relevant medical records. The issues of entitlement to an increased rating for PTSD and TDIU are also being considered.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current psychiatric disorders, including PTSD, are related to his in-service experiences and grants service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder.