PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2019

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have made him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment, thus the Board has granted his claim for total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

Service connection for PTSD and OCD is granted, and a 10 percent rating is granted for Peyronie’s syndrome with erectile dysfunction. The Veteran's claims for hemorrhoids, right arm disorder, TBI, and TDIU are REMANDED.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for a back disability, an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD), and left shoulder and finger disabilities due to incomplete VA examinations. The Veteran is not entitled to reopen his claims as new and material evidence was not submitted.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, due to a lack of evidence of a current disability.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD and remanded the issue of service connection for tinea versicolor.

The Veteran's service-connected right and left ear sensorineural hearing loss, allergic rhinitis, right knee degenerative joint disease (right knee disability), obstructive sleep apnea, and acquired psychiatric disorder have been granted. The Veteran is now receiving a 10% rating for his allergic rhinitis.

The Board has remanded the claim for a total disability rating based on unemployability (TDIU) prior to April 13, 2015 due to its inextricability with other claims that were previously remanded.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for PTSD, prostate cancer, and erectile dysfunction due to new evidence and the need for additional examinations. The TDIU claim is also being remanded.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at a 70 percent rating from November 19, 2010 to April 24, 2011. This decision grants the higher rating but only until April 24, 2011.

The Board has remanded the claims for diabetes mellitus, type II and PTSD due to potential exposure to herbicide agents in Korea. The Veteran's service records indicate he served in Korea with a unit that may have been near the DMZ where herbicides were applied. Further verification is needed regarding his claimed stressors.

The Veteran's cause of death was not related to his service-connected conditions, including the presumptively service-connected coronary artery disease due to herbicide exposure. The Board determined that none of his service-connected disabilities contributed substantially or materially to his death.

The Board has remanded the claims of entitlement to an initial disability rating in excess of 70 percent for service-connected PTSD and major depressive disorder prior to January 10, 2014, and entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to insufficient efforts to identify the appellant's current mailing address.

The Board granted the Veteran's claim for TDIU from September 15, 2010 onwards. Prior to this date, the evidence did not show that his service-connected disabilities alone precluded him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has remanded the cases for further action due to incomplete information regarding the Veteran's Social Security Administration (SSA) records. The SSA records are needed to determine if the Veteran is receiving disability benefits and whether he qualifies for a TDIU.

The Board denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date prior to July 24, 2014, for the grant of service connection for PTSD. The Veteran had previously filed claims for a psychiatric condition in August 1996 and August 2008 which became final due to non appeal. No communication was received from the Veteran indicating an intent to claim service connection for this disability prior to July 2014.

The Veteran's service connection claim for PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder, and disruptive mood dysregulation disorder is granted due to the occurrence of a military sexual trauma (MST) during active service. The Board found that the evidence was at least in equipoise on whether the current acquired psychiatric disorders are related to the in-service personal assault stressor.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate development and need for a VA addendum opinion regarding the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been granted, including for an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD, loss of concentration, memory loss and sleep difficulty), secondary service connection for sleep apnea to the acquired psychiatric disorder, and service connection for coronary artery disease (CAD).

The Veteran's PTSD symptoms have increased in severity, and a new VA examination is needed to determine the current level of impairment.

The Board has granted an effective date of May 1, 2011 for the Veteran's 70% disability rating for PTSD. The evidence shows that his PTSD symptoms increased in severity shortly after he retired from work in April 2011.