PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2018

The Board has granted an earlier effective date of August 5, 2005 for the grant of service connection for PTSD. The Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea is remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent, the highest schedular rating available. The Board also granted a TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the right and left upper extremities, as well as PTSD, were denied. Additionally, his requests for increased ratings for PTSD prior to July 21, 2016, and since then, as well as for erectile dysfunction, were also denied.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 50 percent since his date of claim, effective July 14, 2011. The rating was increased to 70 percent as of October 7, 2016.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD, but denied all other claims as new and material evidence was not received to reopen the claims.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining updated VA and private treatment records, scheduling a new VA examination to determine if the Veteran meets the criteria for PTSD under DSM-5, and determining whether any other acquired psychiatric disorders are related to service.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 50 percent, and his diabetes mellitus, type II is denied an initial rating greater than 20 percent.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection and TDIU due to incomplete verification of the Veteran's claimed stressors. The upper extremity peripheral neuropathy claim is also pending as it needs an initial rating.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was granted with an effective date of December 17, 2011.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to new evidence being obtained by VA, and the Veteran did not waive initial consideration of this evidence by the AOJ.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea is denied as there is no evidence of a current disability or in-service injury related to the condition.,For his right knee scar, the Veteran's initial rating request is remanded due to insufficient information regarding the nature and extent of the scar.

The Veteran was granted a 100% rating for his service-connected Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) effective September 29, 2009. He also received SMC at the housebound rate due to additional service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal for an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD was dismissed because the Veteran withdrew the claim before a decision could be made.

The Board has denied service connection for a right wrist condition and remanded the claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include depressive disorder, NOS and PTSD with alcoholism, and coronary artery disease (CAD), to include as secondary to an acquired psychiatric disorder. The case is being remanded due to incomplete VA treatment records and the need for additional examinations.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were reopened and granted for PTSD, other specified trauma- and stressor-related disorder. The claims for peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities and bilateral hearing loss remain denied.

The Board is remanding the case to obtain updated treatment records and provide a copy of the August 2016 Supplemental Statement of the Case (SSOC) to the Veteran's attorney.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and denied service connection for PTSD. Service connection for a stomach disability is also granted, but only as secondary to medications related to other service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's PTSD caused occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas, such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking and/or mood, but not total occupational and social impairment prior to July 22, 2015. The Board granted a rating of 70 percent for PTSD.

The Veteran's PTSD and TDIU claims are being remanded due to incomplete records for the Vet Center in Parkersburg, West Virginia. The TDIU claim prior to September 26, 2017, is also being referred to VA’s Director of Compensation Service for extraschedular consideration.