PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2018

The Veteran's PTSD has been manifested by occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas, warranting a 70 percent disability rating from November 17, 2011 to February 13, 2015.

The Veteran's PTSD was initially rated at 50 percent effective May 31, 2005. The claim to reopen his service connection for PTSD was received on May 31, 2005.

The Board has remanded the case due to additional evidence being added to the record and updated VA treatment records being requested.

The Veteran's unauthorized medical expenses incurred on October 5, 2013 are approved. The Board found that the services provided were not authorized in advance by VA and that there was no feasible availability of VA facilities at the time.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including new VA examinations and consideration of the evidence.

The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected conditions do not preclude him from following a substantially gainful occupation, and therefore denied his claim for TDIU.

The Veteran's PTSD is related to his service aboard the USS Harlan County, and the Board finds that he has a current disability as diagnosed by VA. The stressor reported by the Veteran was found credible and consistent with his military service, leading to the conclusion that his PTSD is at least as likely as not caused by or a result of his military experiences and fear of hostile activity.

The Veteran's PTSD was granted with a 50% rating effective April 28, 2011. Service connection for a skin disability and an acquired psychiatric disability were also granted as secondary to service-connected PTSD.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including verification of in-service stressors and VA examinations to assess the Veteran's psychiatric disorders and right eye corneal ulcer with corneal scarring.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, related to military sexual trauma (MST), was denied as there is insufficient credible supporting evidence of a diagnosed condition. The Board also found that the Veteran does not have any other service-connected disabilities and therefore cannot meet the criteria for TDIU.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral pes planus and PTSD, as well as his claim for service connection for a traumatic brain injury (TBI), were denied by the Board. The denial is based on lack of evidence supporting the underlying claims.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including anxiety disorder, PTSD, and depressive disorder, finding that there was no medical evidence linking his current mental health conditions to his in-service experiences.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for MDD due to new evidence showing a possible link between the Veteran's MDD and his military service. The claim is now granted.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating higher than 70 percent for PTSD from April 21, 2006 through January 2, 2007, and from April 1, 2007 through July 1, 2008 was granted by the Board. The Veteran is currently assigned a 70 percent rating for this period.

The Veteran's PTSD resulted in occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity from April 25, 2008. However, the evidence does not support a higher rating.

The Veteran's PTSD has been productive of occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity, warranting a 50% evaluation prior to November 14, 2013.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current heart disability is at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected PTSD, and thus grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's PTSD has resulted in significant occupational and social impairment, warranting a higher rating of 70 percent since January 12, 2015. The TDIU claim is also granted.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development of VA treatment records, particularly those from January 2018 and February 2018.

The Veteran's PTSD was rated at 30 percent prior to November 14, 2014 and granted a 50 percent rating since that date. The appeal is denied for a higher rating.