PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2015

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's occupational and social impairment caused by his PTSD. A new VA examination is needed.

The Board is unable to determine the outcome of this appeal due to conflicting evidence and need for further clarification. The Veteran's lay statements, along with a statement from Mr. L., suggest that her psychiatric conditions may have had an onset during service, but the VA examiner's initial opinion contradicted these assertions. Additional medical opinions are needed to reconcile these discrepancies.

The appeal is being remanded due to difficulties encountered by the Seattle RO in scheduling a VA examination to assess the Veteran's employability. The Veteran will need to report for any necessary examinations and cooperate with the development of his claim.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and readjudicating the claim for a rating in excess of 30 percent for PTSD prior to May 24, 2012.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate development and instructions, requiring the RO to issue a supplemental statement of the case with regard to service connection for back disability, an increased rating for PTSD, and TDIU.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was reopened and granted. The initial rating for PTSD from January 30, 2008 to July 29, 2009 is granted at 50 percent, and since July 30, 2009 is granted at 70 percent. TDIU prior to July 30, 2009 was also granted.

The Board granted higher initial ratings for PTSD and right elbow disorder, but denied service connection for ischemic heart disease due to Agent Orange exposure. The appeal was reopened on new evidence.

The Veteran's claims for an initial rating higher than 50 percent for PTSD and an effective date earlier than December 7, 2008 for the grant of service connection for PTSD are being remanded due to incomplete development.

The Veteran's appeal involves multiple issues related to his service-connected conditions, including PTSD, coronary artery disease, lumbar spine disability, bilateral knee disabilities, and diabetes mellitus. The Board has declined jurisdiction over the TDIU issue as it was not properly appealed at the time of the October 2014 decision. The Veteran's appeal is for increased evaluations for his service-connected conditions and eligibility to Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits prior to March 20, 2014.

The Veteran's anxiety disorder, with PTSD features and alcohol abuse, is currently rated at 50 percent. The symptoms do not warrant a higher rating as they primarily include anxiety, anger, nightmares, sleep difficulty, irritability, and depression.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including verification of a reported stressor and another VA mental disorder/PTSD examination. The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, is pending.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional evidence and for a new VA examination. The TDIU claim has also been raised, necessitating further development.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further procedural action regarding his claims of service connection and initial disability ratings.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination and additional development of his claims file.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his claims, including obtaining VA treatment records and conducting a new VA examination to assess the severity of his hearing loss and PTSD.

The Veteran's PTSD was manifested by symptomatology that supports a 30 percent rating from October 28, 2009, the date his claim for increase was received. The Board finds that the criteria for a 30 percent disability rating were met since October 28, 2009.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for PTSD was denied as there is no evidence that he filed a formal or informal claim prior to May 11, 2011. The earliest available effective date is therefore May 11, 2011.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and finds that new and material evidence has been received. The issues of service connection for various other conditions due to undiagnosed illness or other qualifying chronic disabilities have also been addressed.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient verification of a stressor related to PTSD. The Veteran's claim will be reviewed with additional information from the U.S. Army and Joint Services Records Research Center (JSRRC).

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board finds that this rating adequately compensates for his disability.