PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2018

The Veteran's PTSD with major depression is being remanded for further development, including obtaining treatment records from the Manhattan Vet Center and providing an addendum medical opinion.

The Veteran's PTSD with depressive disorder is rated at 70 percent, effective from the date of this decision. The Board also granted a TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further stressor verification regarding the 1987 missile handling mishap and the shipboard fire in 1984. Additionally, a new VA examination is needed to assess his psychiatric disorder(s) and GERD.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals regarding service connection for residuals of a cold injury of the bilateral upper and lower extremities, hepatitis, entitlement to an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss, and earlier effective date for the grant of a 10 percent disability rating for bilateral hearing loss. The Board also denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (claimed as depression and PTSD).

The Veteran's claim for an evaluation in excess of 70 percent for PTSD was denied.,The Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities was also denied.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a new VA mental health examination to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed acquired psychiatric disorder. The issue of service connection for right knee osteoarthritis remains unresolved.

The Veteran's claim for PTSD was dismissed due to his death during the appeal process.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus, do not prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation. The Board finds that the evidence does not support an award of a TDIU.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection and increased ratings were dismissed. The Board found that the Veteran withdrew his appeals as to bilateral ankle disability, shrapnel wounds of the left eye, and PTSD with traumatic brain injury and depressive disorder. A 50 percent rating was granted for tension headaches associated with PTSD with traumatic brain injury and depressive disorder, and a 70 percent rating was granted for PTSD with traumatic brain injury and depressive disorder.

The Veteran's appeal seeking a TDIU was dismissed. The Board granted service connection for PTSD claimed as due to MST, finding that the Veteran had experienced an in-service sexual assault and met the criteria for PTSD.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for PTSD and Major Depression due to incomplete information provided by VA. The Veteran needs to be provided with proper notice letters regarding her sexual assault allegations, and her service treatment records related to mental health need to be obtained. Additionally, her alleged stressors need to be verified.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient STRs and outstanding VA treatment records. The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including depression and alcohol abuse, is being reviewed with a focus on associating these records and conducting a VA examination.

For the entire period on appeal, the Veteran's service-connected PTSD is shown to be productive of a disability picture that equates to occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas such as work, family relations, and mood; total occupational and social impairment is not shown.,The effective date for the award of service connection for PTSD has been granted as December 4, 2013.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation, leading to the grant of a TDIU. The Board also remanded several issues for further evaluation.

The Board has granted service connection for left ankle disability and remanded the issues of service connection for psychiatric disabilities (including PTSD, anxiety disorder, and depression) and low back disability.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD. The appeal is dismissed as to the issue of entitlement to service connection for ischemic heart disease. The application to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for hypertension is granted.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD and depressive disorder, finding that new evidence did not establish a current diagnosis of PTSD or link it to service. The Veteran was also diagnosed with alcohol dependence.

The claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is reopened and remanded. The claim of service connection for involuntary muscle contractions is also remanded.

The Veteran's representative withdrew the appeal of his claim for an increased rating for PTSD before a decision was made by the Board.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the case is dismissed.