PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2017

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 50 percent since November 5, 2010. The Board found that the Veteran's PTSD resulted in occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood.

The Veteran's claims for increased rating and service connection are being remanded to obtain additional VA treatment records and to schedule a new VA examination.,The Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for hepatitis C is being remanded to obtain an opinion regarding the etiology of his current diagnosis.,The Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for sarcoidosis is being remanded to obtain an opinion regarding the nature and etiology of his diagnosed condition.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have not rendered him unable to follow a substantially gainful occupation during any time subject to this appeal.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities (PTSD and chronic pleural disease) do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's PTSD symptoms have resulted in occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas, warranting a 70 percent disability rating for the entire period on appeal.

The Board has ordered additional development, including obtaining service treatment records and prison records. A VA examination is also required to assess the current severity of PTSD and to determine if any claimed disabilities are related to service in the Southwest Asia Theater of Operations.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 30 percent prior to July 18, 2017 and 70 percent since then.,The Veteran is not entitled to a TDIU due to service-connected disability as his self-employment indicates he can secure and follow substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and other conditions, was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a diagnosis of PTSD or any other acquired psychiatric disorder during service or at any time thereafter. Service connection was also denied for peripheral nerve conditions of the upper extremities and bilateral hearing loss.

The Board denied reopening of service connection for PTSD, hypertension, and other conditions due to lack of evidence supporting the claims.,Service connection was not granted for hypertension, musculoskeletal condition, liver condition/cirrhosis, macular degeneration with glaucoma of the right eye, or loss of vision of the left eye as there was no established service connection.,The Board also denied reopening of service connection for CAD and diabetes mellitus type II due to lack of evidence supporting these claims.

The Board found that the Veteran's claimed in-service stressors could not be verified, and thus service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability (including PTSD and bipolar disorder) was denied. Service connection for a bilateral hearing loss disability was also denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment prior to November 15, 2016. Since that date, his combined scheduler disability rating was 100%, and he is contending that he is unemployable due to a combination of these same service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 70 percent since January 20, 2008 until March 9, 2015.,The Veteran is unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected PTSD.

The Veteran's PTSD was rated at 10 percent from April 29, 2005 to February 2, 2009. After this period, the rating for PTSD increased to 70 percent effective October 22, 2010.

The Veteran's PTSD resulted in total occupational and social impairment, warranting a 100 percent rating. The reduction of the evaluation for chronic lumbar strain with degenerative joint disease was found to be improper.

Your claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, has been granted. You are now rated at 70% for PTSD effective September 12, 2011.

The Veteran's claim for an increased initial disability rating of 70 percent for PTSD has been granted, but not more than that. The current rating is 50 percent.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for PTSD to include anxiety and insomnia is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and additional treatment records.

The Veteran's PTSD with dysthymia and depression is rated at 50 percent disabling, which meets the criteria for a TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including verification of claimed stressors and a new examination to clarify the nature and etiology of any acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death. The issues of service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder and major depression remain unresolved.