PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2015

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD has been rated at a 100 percent disability rating since March 5, 2004, due to total occupational and social impairment.

The Board has remanded the case due to scheduling issues for a videoconference hearing, and the Veteran's current address needs to be confirmed.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the Agency of Original Jurisdiction (AOJ) for further action, including scheduling a hearing before a Veterans Law Judge.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals pertaining to the claims for increased evaluations for PTSD, mild quadriceps patella tendonitis, and recurrent lumbar strain.

The Board denied all claims on appeal, finding that new and material evidence was not submitted to reopen any of the service connection claims for PTSD, low back disability, right knee disability, fungal infection of the arms, tinnitus, or prostate cancer. The denial is based on the lack of new and material evidence.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings and TDIU is being remanded due to the need to obtain Social Security Administration records, conduct a VA Social and Industrial Survey, and determine whether his service-connected psychiatric disorders alone render him unemployable.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for PTSD, right knee displacement, and lumbosacral strain. The Veteran was also not granted a TDIU due to lack of service connection.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD and depression/depressive disorder, NOS) and a rating in excess of 20 percent for diabetes mellitus with hypercholesterolemia.

The Board has remanded the case due to pending issues of entitlement to earlier effective dates for service-connected bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, as well as service connection for bilateral knee disabilities, a stroke, PTSD, and depression. The issue of entitlement to service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death remains pending.

The Veteran's PTSD was manifested by symptoms such as chronic sleep impairment, depressed mood, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, claustrophobia, occasional nightmares, disturbances of motivation and mood, and difficulty in establishing and maintaining effective social relationships. The Board found that these symptoms warranted a 50 percent disability rating prior to September 23, 2013.

The Veteran's PTSD resulted in occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity, warranting a 50 percent rating effective March 7, 2008.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 50 percent since April 11, 2007. The claim for a higher rating is denied.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for ischemic heart disease and earlier effective dates for PTSD and TDIU, finding no current diagnosis of ischemic heart disease and insufficient evidence to support the presumption of herbicide exposure. The earlier effective dates were granted for PTSD and TDIU.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions, including PTSD, cervical spine degenerative joint disease, and bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy, have resulted in unemployability from April 15, 2009 to July 31, 2011. As of July 1, 2014, the Veteran's service-connected conditions, including PTSD, cervical spine degenerative joint disease, bilateral upper extremity radiculopathy, and prostate cancer, have resulted in unemployability.

The Veteran's claimed psychiatric disability (PTSD) and hypertension were denied as they are not related to service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, aside from his ischemic optic neuropathy, are of sufficient severity to warrant entitlement to SMC at the (l) level based on the need for A&A due to these disabilities alone. The claim for service connection for minimal age acquired osteoarthritis is being remanded for further development.

The Board found no evidence to support a diagnosis of PTSD related to service or any verified stressor. However, the Veteran was granted service connection for Persistent Depressive Disorder based on direct evidence linking it to his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current acquired psychiatric disorder, other than PTSD, is related to service and grants this claim. Further development is needed for the PTSD claim.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent disabling, effective April 1, 2015. This rating reflects the severity of symptoms consistent with reduced reliability and productivity due to such issues as difficulty understanding complex commands, impairment of short-term memory, impaired judgment, and impairment in work and social relationships.

The Board has granted a rating of 70 percent for PTSD prior to December 31, 2012. The Veteran is also entitled to TDIU.