PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2015

The Veteran's PTSD has been manifested by symptoms such as depressed mood, anxiety, irritability, anger outbursts, chronic sleep impairment, mild memory loss, and difficulty adapting to stressful circumstances. These symptoms have not caused total occupational and social impairment.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn by his representative, resulting in the dismissal of the case.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent, effective July 24, 2009. The Board has granted a higher rating for PTSD and also found that the Veteran meets criteria for TDIU.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been granted, with the exception of his claim for hyperlipidemia. The remaining conditions include an acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD and anxiety disorders), bilateral knee osteoarthritis, hearing loss of the left ear, sleep apnea, hypertension, a low back disorder, bilateral hip osteoarthritis, tinnitus of the right ear, folliculitis, resection of left eye pterygium with residual faint nasal conjunctival scar, recurrent nasal pterygium of the right eye, and TDIU. The Veteran's hyperlipidemia claim is pending.

The Veteran's bilateral lower extremity peripheral neuropathy is service-connected as secondary to his service-connected type II diabetes mellitus. For the initial rating period from October 27, 2006 to April 27, 2011, the service-connected PTSD resulted in occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity.

The severity, frequency, and duration of the Veteran's PTSD symptomatology more nearly approximated severe occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in areas such as work, social relations, insight, and mood due to symptoms such as depressed mood; anxiety; little interest or pleasure in things; poor concentration; decreased appetite; chronic sleep disturbances, including nightmares, night sweats, and thrashing in his sleep; feelings of hopelessness; hypervigilance and exaggerated startle response; irritability and anger; avoidance behaviors; problems with his primary support group; and difficulties with occupational relationships which adversely affected his ability to perform in the workplace.

The Veteran's PTSD was found to have occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity, warranting a 50% evaluation from October 20, 2014. The claim for service connection for tinnitus, right ear is addressed in the REMAND portion of the decision.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to VA's failure to request mental health care treatment records from a VAMC in Columbia, Missouri, since 2007.

The Veteran's PTSD most nearly approximated a degree of disability involving occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity due to various symptoms, but not higher.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently evaluated as 30 percent disabling due to symptoms such as anxiety, intrusive thoughts, sleep impairment, hypervigilance, and exaggerated startle response. The VA examiner found no more than occupational and social impairment with occasional decreases in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were granted, with some conditions receiving a presumption of herbicide exposure and others being granted based on the evidence presented.

The Veteran's PTSD resulted in little interference with occupational and social functioning for the period from December 29, 2008 to June 26, 2013. For the period of June 27, 2013 to May 27, 2015, his PTSD caused chronic sleep impairment, anxiety, and nightmares.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for PTSD has been withdrawn, and the case is dismissed.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals for increased ratings in multiple conditions, including PTSD and peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities. As a result, there are no remaining issues to be decided by the Board.

The Veteran's claim of entitlement to an annual VA clothing allowance is denied as there is no credible evidence that his prescribed skin cream caused irreparable damage to his outer garments or that his left knee brace tends to wear or tear his clothing.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a diagnosis of PTSD and did not find any other psychiatric disability to be service-connected.

The Veteran's PTSD resulted in occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas, warranting a disability rating of 70 percent.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings have been denied. The Board found no evidence of a left leg disability, and the right thigh shrapnel wound residuals are rated at 10 percent.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service connection claims for bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, gastrointestinal disability, skin cancer, and PTSD are denied as there is no evidence of a current disability or in-service incurrence or aggravation.

The Veteran's PTSD and depression have been found to be causally related to her active military service, granting the claim for these conditions. The claims of entitlement to service connection for lupus and sleep apnea are inextricably intertwined with the lupus claim and must be addressed together.