PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2018

The Board has decided that the claims for service connection for PTSD, major depressive disorder and obstructive sleep apnea need further development due to conflicting medical evidence and inextricably intertwined issues.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD from October 6, 2011, to August 3, 2016 is being remanded due to the need for additional information from SSA.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, IHD, left foot and ankle disability, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus, have prevented him from maintaining substantially gainful employment for the periods where his combined rating was less than total.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD and anxiety, is reopened due to the submission of new evidence. The case is remanded for further examination and opinion regarding the relationship between any current psychiatric disorders and service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and diabetic peripheral neuropathy of all extremities, do not render him unemployable. The Board finds that the preponderance of evidence does not support a finding of TDIU.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected PTSD is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his condition.

The Veteran's appeals for increased evaluations and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional medical records and examinations.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 70 percent since June 17, 2011. Prior to that date, the Board granted a rating of 50 percent for PTSD and found no basis for an earlier effective date.

The Board has granted service connection for sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD.

The Veteran's claims for a clothing allowance for knee brace and topical medication were denied. However, the Board granted a clothing allowance for his back brace due to credible testimony indicating it caused damage to his clothes.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent since February 20, 2012. The initial compensable rating for allergic rhino-conjunctivitis was granted effective December 3, 2015. The effective date for right L5 radiculopathy has been set to July 24, 2008.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD is rated at 70 percent, the maximum available rating.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for PTSD and latent schizophrenia as new and material evidence was not received to reopen these claims.

The Board has granted service connection for sleep apnea as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD. The issue of a rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD is remanded.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD and Depression, finding that the Veteran's current diagnoses are due to in-service stressors, including military sexual trauma.

The case is remanded for a VA examination to determine the severity of the Veteran’s PTSD. The Veteran must provide names and addresses of all health care providers who provided treatment for his PTSD.

The Veteran's effective date for residuals from total left knee replacement surgery is granted as of March 25, 2013. A TDIU based on service-connected disabilities is also granted.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for payment or reimbursement of medical expenses incurred during a non-VA CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis at St. Cloud Hospital on September 2, 2014, due to prior authorization by VA.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's diagnosed PTSD, finding that it is related to military sexual trauma during basic training.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims to reopen for service connection for major depressive disorder, PTSD, and bipolar disorder. The claim of entitlement to a compensable rating for avulsion of tip of the olecranon, left elbow is remanded. The claim of entitlement to a compensable rating for residuals of a fracture of the left leg is also remanded.