PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2018

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The issues of service connection for sleep apnea, an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD), chronic lumbar strain, and radiculopathy of the left lower extremity are remanded.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to conflicting opinions and insufficient evidence. The low back condition claim requires a new VA opinion, while the psychiatric disability claim needs verification of service in Vietnam.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn due to his request for withdrawal of the claims.

The Veteran's PTSD was rated at 30 percent from December 6, 2010 to June 30, 2011. From June 30, 2011 to September 2, 2014, the rating remained at 30 percent due to occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform tasks.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection on multiple conditions have been dismissed due to the death of the appellant.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's PTSD is service-connected, and as a result, his request for treatment purposes only under 38 U.S.C. Chapter 17 for an acquired psychiatric disorder is moot.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD has been granted a 70% disability rating for the entire period from March 22, 2010.

The Veteran's clothing was damaged due to her service-connected left knee and back braces, which are granted a clothing allowance for the year 2014.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for coronary artery disease (CAD) has been reopened and granted. Service connection is denied for arthritis and PTSD.

The Board denied the Veteran's application to reopen his claim of service connection for PTSD, finding that new and material evidence had not been submitted.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, vertigo (Meniere’s syndrome), and acquired psychiatric disability (PTSD and anxiety disorder) due to insufficient evidence in the record. The Veteran was exposed to gunfire during service but no VA examination or medical records were provided.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD, which was previously denied due to lack of evidence supporting the in-service stressor, has been reopened. The new evidence provided by the Veteran and corroborated VA medical opinions have established a current diagnosis of PTSD related to military sexual trauma (MST) during service.

The Board has found that service connection is not warranted for the Veteran's claimed conditions, including hypoglycemia, weight loss, diverticulitis, bilateral eye/vision condition (no tears), and an acquired psychiatric disorder. The case is being remanded to determine if there are any additional medical records or evidence that could support these claims.

The Veteran's PTSD was granted effective from February 26, 2014. The Board found that the symptoms existed since March 9, 2011 and assigned an earlier effective date of March 9, 2011.

The Board denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date for service connection of PTSD and also denied his claim for TDIU based on service-connected disabilities. The decision found that there was no legal authority to grant an earlier effective date for PTSD, as the original claim had already been assigned the earliest possible effective date.

The Veteran's PTSD caused occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas since June 28, 2010. A rating of 70 percent was granted for this period.,From June 28, 2010, the Veteran has been unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation due to PTSD.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for chloracne, a head injury, and PTSD. The decision found no evidence to support these claims.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been withdrawn. The Board has granted service connection for a headache disorder, but denied the rest of the claims due to lack of medical evidence linking the conditions to his active service or service-connected disabilities.

All claims on appeal have been dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeals in February 2016.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to ensure a complete record and to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's psychiatric disorders. The case is being remanded for further examination and opinion.