PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2015

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of service connection for PTSD was denied as there is no diagnosis of PTSD prior to September 15, 2010.

The Veteran's appeals have been dismissed as he has withdrawn his appeal.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at various levels since its initial grant of service connection. The current rating is 70 percent effective February 11, 2014.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional medical opinions and to ensure all relevant treatment records are obtained. The issues of service connection for PTSD, adjustment disorder with anxiety and depressed mood, and sleep apnea will be addressed.

The Veteran's PTSD is productive of and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity due to symptoms such as panic attacks several times a week, memory impairment, disturbances of motivation and mood, and difficulty in maintaining relationships. The Board grants the benefit sought on appeal by assigning a disability rating of 50 percent for PTSD.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, is being remanded due to the need for additional development of his service and post-service medical records.

The Veteran meets the schedular criteria for a TDIU due to his service-connected PTSD, which prevents him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining relevant treatment records and providing an addendum opinion from a VA examiner regarding whether the Veteran's current acquired psychiatric disorder is related to service. The appeal will be reconsidered after this additional development.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD and depression is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and a VA mental disorders examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not meet the criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD, but finds that his anxiety disorder, NOS, is related to in-service stressors and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board found the attorney's fee of $12,743.53 improper as it did not reflect a reasonable contribution to the case and granted the Veteran's appeal to prevent withholding such payment.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 50 percent prior to April 29, 2014, and the claim for higher ratings remains viable on appeal.

The Veteran's PTSD has been granted a 70 percent rating effective May 8, 2013. He is also awarded TDIU as of that date.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD with depressive disorder and dementia, along with his secondary alcohol dependence, contributed to his death from renal failure due to encephalopathy. The Board finds that the Veteran's service-connected disability was a contributory cause of his death.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 70 percent, effective August 20, 2013. The Board has granted a TDIU based on the severity of his service-connected PTSD.

The case is being remanded for the adjudication of referred issues regarding service connection for posttraumatic stress and sleep disorders, prior to readjudicating the total disability evaluation based individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent, reflecting occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 70 percent since April 13, 2012. The Board granted a higher rating and found that the Veteran is not unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's anxiety neurosis and PTSD have resulted in occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas such as work, family relations, thinking, and mood due to symptoms including occasional short-term psychosis, mild disorientation spells, memory and concentration deficits, impaired abstract thinking, and occasional suicidal ideation. The criteria for a 70 percent rating are met.,The Veteran's anxiety neurosis and PTSD have prevented him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's combined disability rating is 80 percent, which meets the percentage requirements for a TDIU. However, his service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from securing and following all substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and occupational experience.