PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2018

The Veteran's claim for a total rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disability (TDIU) is remanded as the evidence does not conclusively show that his PTSD renders him unemployable.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete development and requests for additional information. The Veteran's claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, is being reviewed.

The Veteran's muscle contraction headaches, claimed as migraine headaches, are rated at 50% effective August 3, 2015. The Board granted a TDIU beginning from this date due to the combined effect of his service-connected PTSD and muscle contraction headaches.

The claim for service connection of hypertension was reopened. The Veteran's hypertension is not found to be proximately due to or the result of his service-connected PTSD, and therefore denied. SMC based on need for regular aid and attendance or housebound rate is also denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation prior to December 13, 2010.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining an addendum opinion from a VA examiner to address the Veteran's claimed psychiatric disorders and their relationship to her military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination and unclear employment history. The Veteran needs to provide an updated TDIU application, and a new examination is needed to assess his occupational and daily activity functioning.

The Veteran meets the schedular criteria for a TDIU due to his service-connected PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The Board finds that he is unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's PTSD is granted as it is related to combat service, and the Board found in favor of the Veteran.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for a disability rating of more than 50 percent for PTSD and his claim for TDIU due to insufficient medical evidence and inextricability with the PTSD claim.

The Veteran's PTSD with major depressive disorder and alcohol abuse in early remission has worsened since his last VA examination. The Board finds that a more contemporaneous medical examination is needed to determine the current severity of his service-connected disabilities.

The claim for PTSD has been reopened and granted. The claim for a lumbar spine disability is remanded.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 70 percent, effective from March 20, 2017. The Board found that the symptoms did not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death and dependency and indemnity compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 due to lack of recent medical records, particularly those from 2007 to 2009.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for high blood pressure and GERD are remanded due to the need for a statement of the case.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of PTSD and tinnitus, finding that VA did not receive a claim prior to February 5, 2015.

The Board has remanded two issues: the first is to determine if a higher initial rating for PTSD can be granted, and the second is to establish an effective date prior to August 15, 2014, for the award of service connection for PTSD.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for lumbar spine disorder, PTSD, and psychiatric disorder due to new evidence showing a link between these conditions and the Veteran's service-connected migraines and bilateral plantar fasciitis. However, the claim remains pending as the merits of the secondary service connection have not been decided.

The Board has granted service connection for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), finding that the Veteran's current MDD is at least as likely as not causally related to her military service. The claim was reopened due to new evidence submitted since the November 2007 rating decision.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a bilateral feet and heel disability, PTSD, and an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD are all granted. However, the claim for service connection for skin cancer is remanded due to lack of medical opinion on its relation to herbicide exposure.