PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2016

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess the severity of his PTSD and consideration of whether he is entitled to TDIU.

The Veteran is granted a disability rating of 70 percent for PTSD from January 24, 2011 to September 11, 2015. She is also granted TDIU effective September 12, 2015.

The Veteran's claim for a higher initial rating for PTSD was denied, and the effective date of service connection for PTSD remains September 19, 2007.

The Board has remanded the case for a medical opinion on whether any currently diagnosed psychiatric condition had its onset during service or is otherwise related to service. The Veteran's current diagnoses include PTSD and mood disorder.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's cause of death, glioblastoma multiforme, is related to his military service and specifically to his exposure to herbicides during his service in Vietnam.

The Veteran's PTSD has been productive of total social and occupational impairment from April 11, 2004 through November 16, 2007. The Board grants a 100 percent rating for this period.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for an increased disability rating for PTSD prior to the Board's decision.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than April 6, 2009 for the grant of service connection for PTSD with major depressive disorder and alcohol dependence is granted. The earliest possible effective date is February 8, 2006.,The Veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than April 6, 2009 for TDIU is denied as he did not meet the schedular requirements for TDIU prior to February 8, 2006.

The Board finds that the evidence is at least evenly balanced as to whether service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD with sleep disturbances, depressive disorder, alcohol abuse, and anxiety disorder, is warranted. The Veteran has been diagnosed with PTSD under the DSM-IV and there is no probative evidence that controverts that diagnosis. He has also been diagnosed with a host of other mental health disorders. It is uncontroverted that experienced stressors during his deployment to Iraq. Finally, the September 2015 VA examiner has related the Veteran's mental health symptoms to those stressors experienced during service. As the reasonable doubt created by this relative equipoise in the evidence must be resolved in favor of the Veteran, entitlement to service connection is granted.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional VA examination and records, as well as a supplemental opinion from the examiner.

The Veteran's death was ruled due to his service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and low back pain with degenerative disc disease. The Board found that the criteria for SMC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1114(s) were met as there was a single service-connected disability rated as total (PTSD) and an additional disability independently ratable at 60 percent (low back pain with degenerative disc disease).

The Board has remanded the case for further action, including obtaining additional records from a Vet Center in Queens, New York. The Veteran's claim of entitlement to an increased rating for PTSD will be reconsidered based on all available evidence.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to a Joint Motion for Partial Remand, including obtaining an updated VA examination and addressing the bases of the motion.

The Veteran's PTSD with depression has been rated at 70 percent since December 23, 2008. Effective March 20, 2015, the Veteran is granted a TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a right knee disability, left knee disability, and psychiatric disorder are being remanded due to the need for additional development including obtaining medical records and VA examinations.

The Veteran's service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder was not found to meet the criteria for an evaluation in excess of 30 percent prior to December 20, 2011.

The Veteran's tinnitus is found to be related to service exposure. Service connection for PTSD, COPD, and a lumbar spine disability are granted. The claim for an equilibrium disorder was not supported by the evidence.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for de novo review by the Decision Review Officer (DRO) due to a delay in receiving an appeals election letter.

The Board has found that the Veteran's PTSD and Major Depressive Disorder are caused by a military sexual trauma (MST) during service, thus granting service connection for these conditions. The issue of NSC pension is remanded due to other nonservice-connected disabilities.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals regarding an increased rating for PTSD, service connection for bilateral hearing loss, and service connection for tinnitus.