PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2018

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, Pes Planus, and Degenerative Joint Disease of the Left Knee, render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board has granted entitlement to Total Disability Rating Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU).

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected chronic adjustment disorder is remanded due to uncertainty about the proper diagnosis and severity of his condition.

The Veteran's claim for higher ratings for her service-connected bipolar disorder with PTSD is remanded due to the assertion of increased severity since her last VA examination in February 2014.

The Veteran's service connection claim for PTSD is granted, and the Board affirms that his PTSD symptoms are related to in-service stressors involving fear of hostile military or terrorist activity. The Veteran's increased rating claim for cholecystectomy residuals is remanded due to lack of recent medical examination.

The Board has determined that there is no evidence of an in-service stressor or injury, and the appellant's current psychiatric disorders are not related to service. Therefore, the claim for service connection for PTSD and Schizophrenia is denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional evidence and a VA examination.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 50 percent, and he is granted a TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD and MDD was reopened due to new evidence, and the Board has now granted service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's application to reopen the previously denied claim of entitlement to service connection for coronary artery disease/ischemic heart disease associated with herbicide exposure is denied. Service connection for PTSD is also denied.

The Board has remanded several issues including service connection claims, higher evaluations for various disabilities, and a TDIU claim due to the addition of new evidence. The Veteran is also scheduled for VA examinations.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disability, including PTSD and psychosis, is denied as there is no evidence of an in-service injury or disease that led to the current condition. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD and concluded that his psychiatric disability was not related to service.

The Veteran's claim for an annual clothing allowance is remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions and records. The issue will be reconsidered with consideration of whether two separate allowances can be granted, as well as determining if the Veteran's braces cause wear or tear on her clothing.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating of PTSD was denied, and a 30 percent rating is granted for headaches. The Veteran's claim for service connection of a respiratory disability is remanded.,PTSD remains rated at 70 percent, and the Veteran's headaches are rated at 30 percent.

The Board has granted service connection for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD. The Veteran's PTSD is linked to his in-service stressor, while the acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD is not related to service.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals regarding service connection for a fractured coccyx, PTSD, and the timeliness of an appeal for bilateral hammertoes.

The Board vacated its decision denying TDIU from April 1, 2010, through September 11, 2014 due to the omission of considering the impact of the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus on his employability. The case is remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for depression is granted, with a 70% evaluation effective from February 5, 2016. The decision also acknowledges the Veteran's PTSD symptoms but does not grant service connection.

The Veteran's appeals for increased evaluations of his service-connected conditions have been dismissed, and the Board has remanded the cases to the AOJ for issuance of a Statement of the Case regarding earlier effective dates.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim for a TDIU from December 14, 2010 through September 9, 2013 due to deficiencies in the June 2017 VA examination and the need for an expert opinion on whether his service-connected disabilities prevented him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran is unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected PTSD, diabetes and peripheral neuropathy, and retinopathy. The Board has determined that the criteria for a TDIU are met.