PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2015

The Board is unable to make a final determination on the service connection claims due to insufficient evidence, and has therefore remanded for further development.

The Board has determined that service connection is not warranted for bilateral hearing loss as defined by VA standards. The Veteran's puretone thresholds have never met the criteria for a disability during this appeal period.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD, depression, and bipolar disorder due to new evidence submitted. However, the issue of whether these conditions are related to service remains pending as it is unclear if there was a personal assault stressor or other in-service event that could support a finding of service connection.

The Veteran's PTSD with anxiety and depression resulted in occupational and social impairment, warranting a 30 percent evaluation effective December 6, 2011.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to determine if he is precluded from substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and other physical conditions.

The Veteran's posttraumatic stress disorder has been rated at 50 percent since April 27, 2011. The effective date for service connection of diabetes mellitus and associated conditions remains August 8, 2011.

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and found that the Veteran's PTSD is related to his military service. The effective date of the grant of service connection for PTSD remains unresolved.

The Veteran's PTSD is service connected. The right and left shoulder disabilities are not service connected as there was no in-service injury or disease, and the current conditions do not meet the one-year presumptive period.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 50 percent, and his alcohol abuse in remission does not affect this rating. The evidence does not support a higher rating.

The Veteran's PTSD with depression is rated at 50 percent, effective July 1, 2010. The rating reflects symptoms of reduced reliability and productivity due to symptoms such as flattened affect, panic attacks more than once a week, difficulty understanding complex commands, impaired judgment, and disturbances of motivation and mood.

The Veteran's PTSD symptoms cause occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas but not total disability, warranting a 70 percent rating. The TDIU issue is addressed separately.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining service personnel records and a VA psychiatric examination to determine if any current psychiatric disorder is related to military service.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions, including PTSD, cervical radiculopathy, and degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine, are considered to have contributed substantially or materially to his death from pneumonia.

The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for plantar warts of the feet was denied as there is no evidence showing that his condition covered at least 5 percent of his entire body or exposed areas, and did not require systemic therapy such as corticosteroids. The Board found that the current schedular evaluation adequately captures the Veteran's symptoms.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional medical records and a new VA examination.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed before the case can be properly adjudicated, including obtaining updated VA medical records and scheduling a VA psychiatric examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and MDD. The claim was remanded due to a lack of corroborated stressor evidence. A supplemental VA opinion is needed to determine if any current/additional disability is etiologically-related to VA medical treatment.

The Board has remanded the issues of an increased evaluation for the Veteran's PTSD and a TDIU to the RO for additional action due to incomplete development.

The Veteran's chronic duodenal ulcer with jejunal diverticulum is currently rated at a 20 percent evaluation, and the Board finds that this rating adequately reflects his disability picture. The issue of entitlement to an initial disability evaluation in excess of 50 percent for PTSD remains before the Board.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings were denied. The left shoulder rotator cuff tendonitis and lumbar spine hypertrophic osteoarthritis did not meet the criteria for higher ratings, while the left ear hearing loss was rated at its maximum allowable level of Level I impairment. PTSD met the criteria for a 70 percent rating prior to December 12, 2011, but from that date forward, it did not warrant an increased rating beyond 30 percent. The GERD and hiatal hernia with gallbladder disease were rated at their maximum allowable level of 10 percent.