PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2015

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the severity of the Veteran's PTSD. The appeal will be reconsidered based on all evidence.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have been shown to render him unable to obtain and maintain gainful employment, thus meeting the criteria for TDIU.

The Veteran's initial claim for an increased rating for PTSD has been granted, but the current disability rating of 30% is not sufficient. The Board has determined that a new VA examination and updated medical records are needed to determine if the Veteran's PTSD symptoms have changed in severity since his last VA examination.

The Veteran's PTSD with secondary dysthymic disorder is currently rated at 70 percent, the highest schedular rating available. The Board finds that his symptoms do not warrant a higher evaluation as they are comparable to those described in the criteria for a 100 percent schedular rating.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, major depressive disorder, and sleep apnea are being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's diagnosed PTSD is at least as likely as not related to his military service, and thus grants service connection for PTSD.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to her incarceration and the undeliverable hearing notices. The case will be returned to the RO for scheduling a Travel Board hearing at her current address.

The Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of medical treatment rendered at non-VA facilities is denied as the care was not rendered in a medical emergency and VA facilities were feasibly available.

The Board found that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, did not clearly and unmistakably exist prior to service and was not otherwise related to his active service. The claim for service connection is therefore denied.

The Veteran's PTSD results in significant occupational and social impairment, warranting a 50 percent disability rating effective from January 1, 2007.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining U.S. Navy ship logs and VA treatment records, as well as a psychiatric examination to determine the nature and etiology of any current psychiatric disability.

The Board has remanded the case for further adjudication due to uncertainty about whether symptoms of Major Depression are part of the service-connected PTSD or a separate condition.

The Veteran's bilateral pes planus was incurred in service and is presumed to be related. The Board finds that the preponderance of evidence supports his claim for service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities combine to be 90 percent disabling, but they do not prevent him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a diagnosis of PTSD related to his service, and thus cannot establish service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Veteran's service-connected acquired psychiatric disability other than PTSD, to include insomnia disorder and persistent moderate somatic symptom disorder, is currently rated at 50 percent. The Board finds that the criteria for a higher rating have been met.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and scheduling a VA examination to reassess the severity of the Veteran's PTSD. The TDIU claim is also being remanded.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and scheduling a videoconference hearing. The issues of entitlement to service connection for left leg disability, increased rating for right knee strain, increased rating for PTSD, and earlier effective date for PTSD are all pending.

The Veteran's original claims for service connection were not received by VA prior to March 1, 2010. The effective date for the grants of service connection for PTSD; cervical spondylosis with neck myelopathy/radiculopathy; left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy/radiculopathy; scar, residuals, shrapnel fragment wound, neck; linear scar inferior to the left patella; and curvilinear left medial knee scar disabilities is denied.,The effective date for the grant of service connection for right foot drop is granted as March 1, 2010. The appeal period had not ended when the information concerning right foot drop compensation was specifically raised by the Veteran.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, related to his active military service.