PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2017

The Board finds that the Veteran's anxiety disorder, NOS is causally or etiologically due to service. Bilateral pes planus was noted on her enlistment examination and did not increase in disability during service.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current psychiatric disorder, and even if he did, there is no competent evidence linking it to his military service.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD is found to have caused or contributed substantially to his death from adult failure to thrive with generalized debility, due to COPD, chronic respiratory failure, and congestive heart failure.

The Veteran's PTSD with depression and anxiety is found to have incepted or been aggravated by her active service, and the Board grants service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a more contemporaneous examination of his service-connected PTSD.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to insufficient consideration of the lay evidence and medical history in the claims file, as well as a lack of an in-person or telehealth examination. The case will be re-adjudicated after further development.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 50 percent since January 31, 2012. The rating is based on the criteria for a direct service connection and does not involve any presumption or secondary condition.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed as he withdrew his appeal in an October 2016 written statement.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment from February 11, 2008 through January 24, 2011.

The Veteran's right shoulder disability, including PTSD and a left shoulder disorder secondary to the service-connected right shoulder disability, is rated at 10 percent prior to October 29, 2014. The effective date for the temporary total rating due to convalescence following surgery on the right shoulder is not earlier than October 29, 2014.

The Veteran's appeal for a TDIU was granted, and her appeals for increased ratings for PTSD, low back disability, right knee disability, and left knee disability were dismissed due to her agreement to withdraw those claims in exchange for the grant of TDIU.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 70 percent since June 16, 2014, due to significant occupational and social impairment.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a diagnosed psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, related to his military service and therefore denied the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal was remanded by the Board in April 2015. The case is now being returned to the Board for further development and consideration of his claims, including whether his service-connected disabilities render him unemployable.

The Veteran's anxiety disorder with PTSD symptoms has been productive of occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity, warranting a 50 percent disability rating over the entire appeals period.

The Veteran's PTSD and TBI residuals have been rated based on their current manifestations, with the PTSD receiving a 50 percent rating since January 22, 2008, and the TBI receiving a 10 percent rating since October 30, 2009. The Board found that neither condition warranted higher ratings.

The Board found that the Veteran's hypertension is etiologically related to his service-connected PTSD, CAD, DM, and residuals of a right foot injury. The decision grants service connection for hypertension as secondary to these conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, excluding PTSD. The Veteran's anxiety symptoms were found to be related to his service and meet the criteria for a valid diagnosis of anxiety disorder.

The Veteran's appeal for a rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD prior to January 18, 2007 is dismissed as his disagreement with the December 2012 rating decision was not proper. The issue of entitlement to an initial compensable disability rating for hypertension and TDIU prior to January 18, 2007 remains on appeal.