PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2017

The Veteran's current psychiatric disability, including PTSD, is service connected due to a military sexual trauma incident during his active duty.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and updated treatment records. The issue of entitlement to a higher initial rating for PTSD remains on hold until further notice.

The Board has determined that the Veteran did not engage in combat and his claimed stressors have not been objectively verified. The acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, was not incurred in or aggravated by service.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for CAD was granted. He is now entitled to a disability rating of 60 percent for his CAD, effective June 20, 2006 through January [redacted], 2008.

The Veteran's thoracolumbar strain aggravating juvenile epiphysitis is not rated higher than 40 percent, and his PTSD remains at a 50 percent rating.

The Board found that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disabilities, including PTSD and depressive disorder, did not meet the criteria for service connection due to lack of a diagnosis meeting DSM-IV criteria.

The Veteran's PTSD was rated at 30 percent, and the Board denied a higher rating as his symptoms did not meet the criteria for a higher disability rating.

The Veteran's PTSD did not result in deficiencies in most areas such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood prior to December 2, 2015. From that date, the rating was increased to 70 percent.

The Veteran's PTSD was initially rated at 50 percent prior to October 9, 2014 and has been increased to 70 percent from that date.

The Veteran's claims for a higher rating for his lumbar spine disability and service connection for hearing loss were denied. The claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder was remanded.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeal for an increased rating and TDIU prior to May 25, 2009.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent, and the Board found that it does not meet or more closely approximate the criteria for a higher rating. The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from obtaining or maintaining a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal, satisfied with the recent decision that increased the rating for PTSD to 70 percent, effective April 18, 2016.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional treatment records and for a VA examination. The issues of an increased rating for PTSD and TDIU are also being remanded.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his chronic acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and insomnia, was granted. The effective date of the grant is January 31, 2007. A separate compensable disability rating for insomnia was also granted. However, a separate disability rating for neurological abnormalities associated with cervical strain was not granted as requested.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for PTSD and Major Depressive Disorder, finding that there is no current diagnosis of PTSD and that the major depressive disorder is not etiologically related to service.

The Veteran's PTSD was manifested by occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas during the period from October 31, 2007 to February 24, 2015.

The Veteran's PTSD with unspecified depressive disorder is rated at 50 percent, which is the maximum schedular rating provided for this disability. The Veteran's IBS was previously rated at 30 percent and remains at that level.

The Board has remanded the case for an addendum opinion regarding direct service connection and secondary aggravation of the Veteran's sleep disability by his PTSD. The Veteran now asserts that his sleep apnea may be related to, or aggravated by any of his service-connected disabilities, in addition to his PTSD, as well as the medications used to treat the service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 50 percent since November 9, 2010. The Board found that the disability picture more nearly approximated a 50 percent rating based on occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity.