PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2015

The Veteran was granted service connection for PTSD with a 30 percent rating effective January 9, 2008.,Service connection was also established for obstructive sleep apnea and the Veteran is currently rated at 30 percent.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is granted as his lay testimony alone may establish the occurrence of a stressor related to fear of hostile military activity, and he has been diagnosed with PTSD.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for TDIU was denied as there is no evidence that he was unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation due solely to his service-connected disabilities prior to June 16, 2004.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess the severity of his PTSD and an evaluation of whether he is unemployable due to service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 70 percent disabling, effective May 29, 2013. The Board finds that the evidence supports a higher rating for both periods on appeal.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's PTSD warrants a higher initial disability rating of 70 percent since March 9, 2007.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to have had its inception in service and persisted since, warranting the grant of service connection. The case is remanded for further development regarding bilateral hearing loss and PTSD.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 30 percent, effective February 29, 2008. The appeal for an increased rating remains pending.

The Veteran's PTSD and right knee disabilities are not rated higher than 30 percent. The claim for service connection of a low back disability has been reopened, but the new evidence does not establish that the condition is related to military service.

The Veteran's PTSD has been manifested by total occupational and social impairment, including suicidal and homicidal actions. The Board finds that the criteria for a 100 percent evaluation have been met.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and scheduling a VA psychiatric examination to determine the current level of severity of his service-connected PTSD. The TDIU claim is also considered part of the increased rating claim.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's PTSD is related to his military service and grants service connection for PTSD.

The Veteran's PTSD resulted in occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity, warranting a 50 percent disability rating from February 9, 2006 to January 12, 2010. From January 13, 2010 to May 6, 2014, the Veteran's PTSD resulted in occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas, warranting a 70 percent disability rating.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining an addendum opinion from a VA examiner regarding the Veteran's claimed acquired psychiatric disorder and its relationship to service, death of his friend, and his service-connected left ankle disability.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and vocational rehabilitation files. The Veteran's TDIU claim is also being addressed.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional medical opinions and treatment records, particularly from the Veteran's period of service in 1973.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities prevented him from securing and following substantially gainful employment prior to May 25, 2010.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to assess the severity of his service-connected GERD and PTSD.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder to include PTSD and a left eye disorder, finding that there was no current diagnosis of these conditions during the appeal period. The Board also found that secondary service connection for the left eye disorder due to diabetes mellitus could not be granted.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary to verify the Veteran's reported stressors and assess his claim for service connection for PTSD. The case will be remanded for this purpose.