PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2017

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent disabling, meeting the criteria for a TDIU.

The Veteran's PTSD symptoms prior to May 24, 2016 have been productive of occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking or mood.,Effective May 24, 2016, the Veteran is entitled to a 100 percent evaluation for PTSD.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including scheduling VA examinations to assess the current severity of service-connected post-concussive syndrome and posttraumatic stress disorder. The TDIU claim is also inextricably intertwined with the other issues.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and anxiety disorder. The VA examiner's opinion was considered more probative than the private treatment records' diagnoses due to lack of specific Criterion A stressor for PTSD and insufficient evidence linking symptoms to military service or tinnitus.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for PTSD is being remanded due to the submission of additional evidence not reviewed in the previous decision.

The Veteran's cause of death, hepatocellular carcinoma, was found to be aggravated by his service-connected PTSD. Therefore, the Board granted service connection for the cause of death.

The Veteran requested to withdraw his appeal for an earlier effective date for erectile dysfunction. The Board is now remanding the case for a Travel Board hearing regarding the initial increased rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn due to the Veteran's request for withdrawal prior to a decision being made.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including VA examinations to address his claims for service connection for PTSD and anxiety disorder, as well as tremors potentially related to Agent Orange exposure.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD and migraines are not shown to result in permanent disability, and the Board finds that the criteria for a permanent and total rating under 38 C.F.R. § 3.340 for these conditions are not met.

The Board has remanded the case for a VA examination to determine the existence and etiology of the Veteran's PTSD, as well as whether any diagnosed psychiatric disorder is related to service. The Veteran must participate in this process.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further evidentiary development, including scheduling a videoconference hearing before the Board.

The Veteran has been granted service connection for PTSD and an unspecified depressive disorder, finding that these conditions are at least as likely as not related to his military service. The cervical spine disability and thoracolumbar spine disability claims remain pending.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD, diabetes mellitus Type II, erectile dysfunction, coronary artery disease, gluteal cleft scar, and facial scar prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation. The Board grants the TDIU claim.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation, warranting the grant of TDIU.

The Veteran's PTSD was granted a 70% rating, effective from May 28, 2013. The issue of service connection for a back disorder has been withdrawn by the Veteran. The TDIU claim remains pending.

The Board has remanded the case for a video-conference Board hearing due to the Veteran's request and is not ready to make a decision on whether new evidence supports reopening his claim of service connection for PTSD.

The Board found that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability was not manifest in service and is not otherwise etiologically related to such service. Therefore, his claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, was denied.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD and adjustment disorder with depressed mood, is not related to his active service or service-connected residuals of a TBI. The preponderance of evidence does not support the claim.

The Veteran's appeals for earlier effective dates for service connection of PTSD, TDIU, and DEA are denied. The appeal for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for lumbar spine disability is also denied.