PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2016

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities (PTSD and diabetes mellitus) prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment, warranting a TDIU.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need to corroborate a claimed stressor related to the Veteran's son's birth and subsequent passing, as well as obtain an opinion regarding the etiology of any acquired psychiatric disorders.

The Board has ordered a remand to obtain additional medical evidence and conduct examinations for the Veteran's psychiatric disability, other than PTSD, and peripheral artery disease. The issues of service connection and rating will be reconsidered based on the new evidence.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection, finding that his IBS was not more than severe in severity and that his left hip residuals did not meet criteria for ankylosis or other compensable limitations.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD warrants an initial disability rating of 70 percent for the period prior to December 31, 2009.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to assess the severity of his PTSD and readjudication of both issues on appeal.

The Veteran's PTSD was productive of total occupational and social impairment from January 28, 2008 through May 20, 2013, warranting a 100 percent disability rating.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than posttraumatic stress disorder is denied as there is no evidence of a separate diagnosis.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent, effective June 17, 2013. The Board finds that the disability picture more nearly approximates occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity.

The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability and an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and depressive disorder. The Veteran's lumbar spine disability is related to his in-service injury during INACDUTRA.,Service connection was also granted for the Veteran's posttraumatic headaches with an initial evaluation of 30 percent from July 14, 2014.

The Veteran's PTSD did not meet the criteria for a higher rating prior to November 1, 2007, and in excess of 70 percent from November 1, 2007, to August 3, 2009.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's major depressive disorder is secondary to his service-connected bilateral knee disabilities and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed conditions, including hearing loss, tinnitus, PTSD, ankle condition, and skin disorder. The VA will also obtain any outstanding treatment records and provide a comprehensive examination.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 100 percent, and his additional disabilities combine to at least 60 percent during the appeal period. The claim for service connection for a bone disorder in the hips and back was remanded.

The Veteran is unable to maintain substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected PTSD, which has resulted in a TDIU.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD does not prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment, as evidenced by his ability to work on a ranch after retiring from the railroad due to back problems.

The Board finds that it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran's service-connected PTSD was a contributory cause of death, and grants service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, and thus service connection for this condition is denied.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, has been reopened and granted. The Board finds that the Veteran's currently diagnosed PTSD is related to his service in Vietnam.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD has resulted in total social and occupational impairment, warranting a 100 percent disability rating.