PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2018

The Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea has been denied.,The issue of secondary service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities to diabetes mellitus (DM) is remanded.

The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's claimed PTSD, Bipolar II Disorder, and Substance Abuse Disorders as there was no evidence showing these conditions were incurred in or related to his military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, major depressive disorder, and panic disorder, has been denied as there is no evidence of a current diagnosis or link to service.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for PTSD was granted, and her service connection for Multiple Myeloma was denied. A TDIU was also granted.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for polycystic kidney disease has been reopened. The ratings for PTSD, lumbar spine disability, and right knee patellofemoral syndrome have been remanded.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, Lumbar Spine Disability, and Bilateral Hearing Loss due to new evidence submitted since the last final denial. The claims are now remanded for further development.

The Board has decided that additional development is needed before the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, to include PTSD, can be decided. The Veteran's statements and current diagnoses suggest a need for a VA examination.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent, and the Board has ordered a remand to obtain additional medical records and conduct a VA examination to determine if her PTSD warrants an increased rating.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to the need for a VA medical examination to determine if the appellant was insane at the time of his discharge.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus was granted service connection.,PTSD was granted with a rating of 70% from November 19, 2010 to June 24, 2012.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 100 percent for the entire appeal period, and a TDIU is dismissed as moot due to her already having a single service-connected disability rated at 100 percent.

The Veteran's PTSD resulted in occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform tasks prior to January 19, 2017. The Board found that the symptoms did not warrant a higher rating.

The Veteran's claims for service connection of right knee, left knee, and sleep apnea disabilities are remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations. The current rating for PTSD remains at 70 percent.

The Veteran's appeal for sleep apnea was dismissed. The claims for right ear hearing loss, tinnitus, and PTSD were not granted as the evidence did not support a finding of service connection.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and PTSD due to lack of evidence supporting these conditions. The lumbar spine, thoracic spine, and left ankle disabilities are also being remanded.

The Veteran's claim for hearing loss was denied in November 2011, but new and material evidence has not been received to reopen the claim.,Tinnitus was also denied in November 2011. The Board found that no new and material evidence had been submitted within one year of the denial.,Major depressive disorder and PTSD were remanded as there is conflicting evidence regarding their etiology, including a lack of review of the claims file by VA medical providers.

The Veteran's hypertension is denied as not being related to service or his service-connected conditions. The claim for a higher rating for schizophrenia prior to November 30, 2010 is also denied.

The Veteran's PTSD was granted a 70 percent rating from January 1, 2016 to March 27, 2017. The claim for TDIU was denied as the evidence did not show that his service-connected disabilities precluded him from securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's left foot disability is rated at 20 percent, and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.,The Veteran does not meet the criteria for TDIU as his combined schedular rating is less than 70% due to service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for PTSD, Spondylosis with DDD, Right Shoulder Strain, and Pilonidal Cyst were granted effective December 16, 2011. The rating for PTSD was denied in excess of 70 percent, the rating for Spondylosis with DDD prior to June 11, 2015 was denied in excess of 10 percent, and the rating since June 11, 2015 was denied in excess of 20 percent. The Veteran's TDIU claim was granted.