PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2017

The Veteran's PTSD has resulted in deficiencies in most areas of work, school, judgment, thinking and mood since the effective date of service connection. A 70 percent rating for PTSD is granted as of March 16, 2010.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining updated VA and non-VA treatment records, as well as a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders. The Veteran is also advised that evidence from sources other than service records may corroborate an account of a stressor incident based on personal assault.

The Veteran's PTSD was found to warrant a 70 percent rating prior to July 24, 2009. The increased rating for coronary artery disease remains pending.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for COPD was reopened and granted. His bilateral hearing loss is rated as noncompensable, his PTSD with MDD is rated at 70% prior to June 15, 2010, and he is entitled to a TDIU rating prior to that date.

The Veteran's ED is found to be secondary to his service-connected acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and bipolar disorder.,Service connection for the acquired psychiatric disorder was granted effective September 23, 2008. However, an earlier effective date of September 23, 2008 is denied as the Veteran's TDIU claim was not yet established at that time.

The Board has determined that the earliest ascertainable date for which the Veteran's PTSD symptoms manifested to warrant a 70 percent disability rating is February 24, 2014. The effective date of this increased rating will be set as of that date.

The Veteran's appeal of the issue of entitlement to service connection for asbestosis/mesothelioma has been withdrawn. The case is being remanded for additional development and readjudication.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for prostate cancer residuals was granted, with the effective date set at August 22, 2014. The issue of SMC at the housebound rate was also granted, effective from August 22, 2014.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including VA examinations to assess his service-connected PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities.

The Board has found that the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and an acquired psychiatric disorder, other than PTSD, are denied as there is no credible evidence of a current disability related to his military service.

The Board found that the Veteran does not meet the criteria for a current diagnosis of an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD.

The Veteran's surviving spouse was substituted as the claimant for his service connection claims. The Board found that the Veteran did not have a current diagnosis of PTSD, but due to his progressive supranuclear palsy, mental status examination was made difficult.,Service connection for Progressive Supranuclear Palsy is denied because there is no evidence linking it to service.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 70 percent since January 4, 2016. The Board found that his service-connected disabilities have made him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to January 4, 2016.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including specifically his PTSD, CAD, and thoracolumbar spine disability, are productive of symptomatology and functional limitations that 'combine to render him fully incapable of securing and following substantial and gainful employment' since August 31, 2012.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for PTSD and TDIU was denied. The Board found that the effective date for service connection should be December 16, 2008, but not earlier. The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated as 30 percent disabling.

The Veteran seeks an earlier effective date for the award of a 100 percent rating for PTSD, which was granted on January 23, 2014. The Board finds that this claim is not warranted.,The Veteran also seeks an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for erectile dysfunction, which was granted on January 23, 2014. The Board finds that this claim is warranted based on evidence showing a claim for this benefit prior to January 23, 2014.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 30 percent, but the Board has determined that a higher rating of 50 percent should be granted.

The Veteran's PTSD has been manifested by occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas, such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood, due to symptoms like depressed mood; anxiety; chronic sleep impairment; hypervigilance; anger; intrusive memories; isolation; avoidance; flashbacks; nightmares; irritability; concentration problems; mild memory loss; passive suicidal ideation; near continuous depression; impaired impulse control (such as unprovoked irritability with periods of violence); difficulty in adapting to stressful circumstances (including work or a work-like setting); and inability to establish and maintain effective relationships, without more severe manifestations that more nearly approximate total occupational and social impairment.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not meet the criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD using either DSM-IV or DSM-V diagnostic criteria, and therefore service connection for PTSD is denied.

The Veteran's PTSD has been productive of occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity, warranting a 50 percent rating.