PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2018

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea and erectile dysfunction. The Board found that there was no evidence of a nexus between these conditions and his active duty service.

The Board finds that the evidence is in equipoise regarding whether the Veteran's service in Vietnam caused his acquired psychiatric disorder, which contributed to his death from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Therefore, service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is granted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD and a depressive disorder, requires additional development as there are outstanding medical records and further examination is needed.

The Veteran's PTSD and major depressive disorder have been rated at the highest possible level of disability, with a rating of 70 percent. The appeal for higher ratings has been granted.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, claimed as PTSD and will further address this issue in a separate decision.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased disability rating for PTSD is withdrawn. The claim of service connection for hearing loss was denied in 2004 and reopened with new evidence, but the Board finds that there is no causal relationship between the Veteran's current hearing loss and his military service.,PTSD: The Veteran did not provide sufficient evidence to establish a direct link between his PTSD and service. The claim remains pending.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, anxiety disorder, and depressive disorder, is attributable to service. The Board finds that the Veteran has a current diagnosis of these conditions and there is medical evidence linking them to her in-service experiences.

The Veteran's PTSD with major depressive disorder resulted in occupational and social impairment, but not total impairment. The Veteran also meets the criteria for TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's PTSD with bipolar disorder is rated at 50 percent, and the Board has granted a higher rating to reflect his current level of disability. The Veteran also meets criteria for TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and development of records. The issues include psychiatric disorders, hearing loss, lumbar spine disability, rhinitis, sinusitis, and TDIU.

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

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for PTSD was granted effective September 10, 2012. The Veteran also received Dependents Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits effective the same date.,Prior to this decision, the Veteran had been receiving a 50% disability evaluation for PTSD since January 2010.

The Board denied the reduction of ratings for right and left knee disabilities from 10% to noncompensable, finding that there was no evidence of improvement warranting such a reduction.,The Veteran's PTSD disability is rated at 30%, effective May 12, 2014. The remaining issues related to knees and thoracic spine are not addressed in this decision.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent, indicating significant occupational and social impairment. His IBS with GERD is currently rated at 30 percent, reflecting moderate symptoms.

The Board has determined that the appellant's PTSD is manifested by total social and occupational impairment, warranting a disability rating of 100 percent.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD and remanded the issues of psychiatric disorders other than PTSD and TDIU.

The Veteran's PTSD and anxiety disorder have resulted in occupational and social impairment with occasional decreases in work efficiency, but not to the extent warranting a higher evaluation.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeal for service connection of PTSD, and the Board is dismissing this issue.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including diabetic neuropathy and PTSD, are found to preclude him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.

The Board found that the Veteran's claimed in-service stressors did not occur and therefore denied service connection for PTSD.