PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2018

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated as 30 percent disabling, but the Board finds that this rating does not accurately depict the severity of his disability and he should be rated at a higher level.

The Veteran's appeal is denied as the evidence does not meet the criteria for an increased rating for his lumbar spine disability or GERD. The issue of service connection for PTSD remains pending.

The Veteran's service connection claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and depression, is granted. The Board also remanded the claims of secondary service connection for hypertension and sleep apnea.

The Board has determined that the claimed conditions of residuals of head trauma, including PTSD, vision disability, and difficulty walking, are not attributable to service.,There is insufficient evidence to establish a current left great toe disability due to an in-service injury.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal on all issues before the Board, including those related to PTSD ratings and service connection for a bilateral foot disorder.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for Erectile Dysfunction, finding that it was not incurred or aggravated by service and was not caused by or permanently worsened in severity by a service-connected disability.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent effective October 10, 2016. The Board has granted a 50 percent rating for the period prior to April 17, 2012.

The Board has remanded the case for a new VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's psychiatric disability, including whether it is related to military service or sexual harassment. The appeal will be returned to the AOJ after this development.

The Veteran's PTSD with depressive disorder and alcohol abuse is rated at 70 percent since May 13, 2014.

The Veteran's PTSD has been manifested with occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity since September 3, 2009. The Board found that the current level of disability does not warrant an evaluation in excess of 50 percent.

The Veteran's PTSD has not been manifested by total occupational and social impairment, thus a rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD is denied. As the Veteran is already receiving a 100 percent rating for bronchial asthma with sleep apnea and SMC under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(s), the issue of entitlement to TDIU is moot.

The Veteran's PTSD warrants staged ratings of 30 percent prior to February 14, 2008 and 50 percent (but no higher) from that date.

From March 24, 2009, to January 12, 2017, the Veteran's service-connected disabilities alone were not of sufficient severity to produce unemployability.,From January 13, 2017, the Veteran's service-connected disabilities alone are of sufficient severity to produce unemployability.

The Board has ordered a new examination to determine if the Veteran's major depressive disorder is related to his service and whether it was made in error or is currently in remission. The case will be returned for further review.

The Veteran's PTSD has not resulted in total occupational and social impairment, as his symptoms have been sporadic and intermittent over the past year.

The Veteran's PTSD has resulted in reduced reliability and productivity, with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks. The symptoms include flattened affect, anxiety, and difficulty understanding complex commands.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development and an addendum opinion regarding her PTSD claim.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his low back disability and TDIU was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating for the low back disability, as it did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under the applicable diagnostic codes. For TDIU, the Board noted that the Veteran had been working full-time since 2012 and his service-connected conditions did not prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the case for a VA examination to determine if the Veteran meets the criteria for PTSD under DSM-IV and whether any current psychiatric disability is causally related to service, including fear of hostile military or terrorist activity. The appeal will be reconsidered based on the entire record.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability is manifested in Level III hearing acuity for both ears, resulting in a noncompensable (0%) evaluation. The Veteran's PTSD with MDD and alcohol use disorder was evaluated at 70% disabling based on the most recent VA examination conducted in March 2014.