PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2019

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient development and an addendum opinion is needed from a clinician regarding the current severity of the Veteran's PTSD.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, diagnosed as persistent depressive disorder and PTSD, is granted service connection. The Board found the preponderance of evidence shows a current acquired psychiatric disorder is causally related to service.

The Veteran's PTSD symptoms were productive of occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity prior to August 19, 2019. A rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD was denied throughout the appeal period.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for chest pain, an acquired psychiatric disorder (including anxiety and PTSD), hypertension, headaches, and involuntary muscle spasms/tremors due to incomplete service treatment records.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim of service connection for depression claimed as a mood disorder and remanded to determine if his major depressive disorder is related to his service-connected migraine headaches and lumbar strain.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD has been reopened, and the case is being remanded to allow for further development of evidence.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for consideration of additional evidence and a hearing before the RO. The TDIU claim will also be deferred until the PTSD rating issue is resolved.

The Veteran's PTSD is granted as service-connected, with the underlying stressor being his experiences of harassment and assault by fellow soldiers during active duty.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability and hepatitis C due to a lack of adequate VA examinations. The Veteran testified about in-service assaults, post-service diagnoses, and potential exposure to hepatitis C through air gun inoculations and tattoos.

The Board has remanded the case due to conflicting evidence of record and the need for another VA examination to determine the etiology of the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including posttraumatic stress disorder and bilateral hearing loss, prevented him from obtaining and retaining substantially gainful employment consistent with his educational background and work experience from January 31, 2003 to June 1, 2009.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including PTSD. The VA examiner is required to provide an opinion on whether these conditions are related to service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychological disorder (including PTSD) is related to military sexual trauma, and service connection for this condition is granted. The issues of entitlement to service connection for sleep apnea and stroke are remanded due to a lack of medical examination.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, characterized as PTSD and sleep disturbance, is denied because there is no current diagnosis of such a condition.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for service connection due to outstanding records and need for further examination. The Veteran is asked to provide VA with names of facilities where he received treatment, including a private therapist in 1997.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric conditions, including PTSD and unspecified trauma and stressor related disorder, are found to be service-connected. The rating for the condition is set at 100%.

The Board has denied the Veteran's requests for effective dates prior to January 22, 2016 for service connection and increased ratings of his disabilities. The issues have been remanded due to a lack of VA treatment records from the relevant period.

The Board has determined that the appellant's discharge from military service was upgraded to a general (under honorable conditions) discharge, which is not considered a bar to VA benefits. The claim for benefits is therefore granted.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent, but the Board finds it does not warrant a higher rating due to his symptoms not meeting criteria for total social and occupational impairment.,The effective date for service connection of PTSD cannot be earlier than August 4, 2016, as there was no claim prior to this date.

The Board has determined that further development is needed to determine the nature and etiology of any acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD. The Veteran's service personnel records from his earlier period of active duty in the United States Army have not been associated with the claims file, and VA medical records are also missing. A remand is necessary for these records to be obtained.