PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2017

The Veteran's PTSD disability rating and TDIU effective date are being remanded for further development.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 50 percent, and the Board has granted a higher rating to 70 percent throughout the appeal period. The TDIU issue was also addressed and granted.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities meet the percentage requirements for a TDIU, but his combined disability rating is not sufficient to establish entitlement due to lack of additional service-connected disability bringing the total to at least 40%.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development and readjudication. The case will be returned to the Board after these actions have been completed.

The Veteran's depression is found to be caused by his service-connected PTSD, and he is granted service connection for this condition.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for additional development and compliance with prior remand directives, including obtaining service personnel records and VA treatment records.

The Veteran's acne vulgaris and PTSD have been rated, but the TDIU claim is still pending as there has not been a final decision regarding it. The Board granted a 100% schedular rating for PTSD from January 27, 2014, which resolved the issue of TDIU prior to that date.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's PTSD is related to his in-service stressor and grants service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including PTSD.

The Veteran has been diagnosed with PTSD based on an established in-service stressor related to the Tet Offensive, and the Board finds that service connection for a psychiatric disorder is granted.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was denied as there is no competent evidence of a current diagnosis of PTSD in accordance with VA regulations.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD and Major Depressive Disorder, is related to in-service stressors. The VA has granted service connection for this condition.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus and PTSD due to lack of credible supporting evidence that the claimed in-service stressors occurred, and because there was no service in the Republic of Vietnam.

The Veteran is entitled to a TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities, including left ear hearing loss, PTSD, DJD with supraspinatus tendon tear in the left shoulder, laceration right wrist with ulnar neuropathy and degenerative changes, and bilateral tinnitus.,The Veteran's multiple service-connected conditions have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's PTSD was manifested by occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for a rating in excess of 30 percent, as his symptoms were described as 'recurrent but manageable' with psychotropic medications.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions of PTSD, hypertension, bilateral hearing loss, and peripheral neuropathy of the right and left lower extremities rendered him unable to engage and retain substantially gainful employment prior to April 21, 2010.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment, thus the criteria for a TDIU for purposes of establishing SMC under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(s) are not met.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at the highest available level of disability since December 20, 1989. The Board granted a TDIU effective from December 20, 1989.

The Veteran's appeal is REMANDED for further development, including obtaining updated treatment records from the Boise, Idaho Vet Center and determining if a TDIU should be granted on an extraschedular basis.

The Veteran is granted a disability rating of 70 percent for PTSD prior to December 18, 2015. The Board finds that the evidence shows significant impairment due to symptoms such as depression, irritability, hypervigilance, hyperarousal, intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, sleep disturbances, social isolation, and fleeting suicidal ideation.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 70 percent since the beginning of the appeal period, and he is granted TDIU based on his service-connected PTSD.