PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2016

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and providing an addendum to a previous VA opinion. The Veteran is entitled to service connection for PTSD but the specific stressors are unclear.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD has been rated at 70 percent since April 8, 2010. The rating is granted as the evidence shows occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas due to symptoms such as flattened affect; circumstantial, circumlocutory, or stereotyped speech; panic attacks more than once a week; difficulty understanding complex commands; impaired judgment; impaired abstract thinking; disturbances of motivation and mood; and difficulty establishing effective relationships.

The Veteran's anxiety disorder, along with PTSD and depressive disorder NOS, is rated at 30 percent. The claim for a TDIU due to service-connected anxiety disorder NOS was denied as the disability alone does not prevent him from obtaining or retaining substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claim for automobile and adaptive equipment was denied as he does not meet the criteria for eligibility due to lack of loss of use of one or both feet, hands, or vision.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining vocational rehabilitation files and readjudicating the TDIU claim. The Veteran's service-connected conditions include PTSD and Chronic Pain Syndrome.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's left knee degenerative arthritis is due to or a result of continuation treatment he had while on active duty. The Veteran's service records show mild degenerative changes in his knees from as early as two months prior to his entry into service, and there is no clear and unmistakable evidence to rebut this presumption.

The Veteran's PTSD was rated at 30 percent from September 26, 2005 to July 28, 2015.

The Veteran's claim for PTSD was denied in a February 1980 rating decision, but his claim for residuals of concussion with diplopia was granted effective November 5, 1990.,Both claims were decided on the merits and are not related to service connection.

The Veteran's PTSD symptoms have caused significant occupational and social impairment, warranting a 70 percent rating. The Board has also found that the Veteran is unemployable due to his PTSD.

The Board has ordered a remand due to the need for clarification of whether PTSD can cause or aggravate sleep apnea, and to obtain an opinion on whether other service-connected conditions may have caused or aggravated the Veteran's sleep apnea.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for PTSD and for a TDIU due to service-connected PTSD. The effective dates of any rating changes have not been established.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the case is dismissed.

The Board has ordered additional development of the record, including obtaining private treatment records and requesting an addendum opinion from a VA examiner. The appellant's claim for service connection for his psychiatric disorders remains pending.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, migraines, a low back disability, a neck disability, and a right shoulder disability, have rendered her unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, depression, anxiety disorder, and insomnia, as well as Crohn's disease. The evidence did not support a finding of in-service stressors or exposure to herbicides that would warrant granting these claims.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his medical records and a VA psychiatric examination.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection of PTSD is being remanded due to the failure to schedule a hearing before a Veterans Law Judge. The case will be returned to the AOJ for further action.

The case is being remanded to obtain updated VA treatment records and to schedule the Veteran for VA examinations to assess his bilateral knee condition, neck condition, PTSD, and all other acquired psychiatric disorders. The RO will also make efforts to corroborate the Veteran's testimony regarding a parachuting accident in service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and arranging for appropriate VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of any acquired psychiatric and right knee condition.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 50 percent since April 21, 2010 to April 28, 2016. The Board finds that a higher initial rating is warranted for his service-connected PTSD.