PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2015

The Board has determined that the Veteran needs additional examinations and remands for his claims due to inadequate examination reports in the previous rating decisions. The appeals are now REMANDED.

The Veteran's PTSD was granted and rated at 50 percent disabling from January 7, 2005. The appeal for a higher rating is denied.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of PTSD with a history of major depressive disorder was denied as there is no evidence that the entitlement arose prior to May 12, 2009.

The Veteran meets the schedular criteria for TDIU and his service-connected disabilities preclude him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than July 5, 2007, for the award of a 100 percent rating for PTSD is dismissed due to the finality of the September 2009 Board decision.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD requires additional development, including stressor verification and obtaining his service personnel records. The case is being remanded to the AOJ for further action.

The Veteran's PTSD claim is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and a VA psychiatric examination.

The Veteran's PTSD has been manifested by occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity from February 20, 2001 to November 1, 2006. The disability picture does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's PTSD is not service-connected due to lack of a verified in-service stressor. The claim for service connection for headaches was previously remanded and requires further examination.

The Veteran's low back disability and PTSD have been granted service connection, with the PTSD receiving a 70% initial rating prior to April 15, 2014.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining medical records and a VA examination to address the Veteran's psychiatric disorders. The issues on appeal are whether service connection should be granted for various acquired psychiatric disorders.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD and MDD, finding that the Veteran's symptoms are related to her inservice personal assault. The initial compensable ratings for hypertension and HPV have been denied as a matter of law due to failure to report for VA examinations.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unemployable, and the Board has granted a TDIU for the entire appellate period.

The Board has granted a rating of 30 percent for PTSD prior to May 16, 2012, which was the initial evaluation assigned by the RO in April 2013.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to inadequate development of his service-connected adjustment disorder and TDIU claims. The case will be returned for further action.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 70 percent since April 1, 2014. The Board finds that the criteria for a higher rating have not been met.

The Veteran's PTSD has been manifested by occasional decrease in reliability and productivity, but not to the extent that a higher rating is warranted.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an extraschedular rating for PTSD, earlier effective date for TDIU and Dependents Educational Assistance eligibility, as well as initial ratings for bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy. The case is to be returned to the Board after further development.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining his VA vocational rehabilitation file and Social Security Administration records. The issue of two separate compensable ratings for bilateral radiculopathy from the service-connected degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine has also been raised and must be addressed first.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension, PTSD, and bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy. The Veteran's hypertension was not shown to be related to service or herbicide exposure. His PTSD claim was not substantiated by evidence of a diagnosed condition. Bilateral upper extremity peripheral neuropathy was found to be etiologically related to his service-connected type II diabetes mellitus.