PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2019

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service-connected.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder to include unspecified depressive disorder and PTSD is granted. The Veteran's fear of losing his life during the USS Enterprise fire is considered a contributing factor in his current diagnosis.,COPD due to asbestos exposure is dismissed.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for migraine headaches, low back pain, and PTSD were denied in a June 2009 rating decision. The appeals have been remanded.,New evidence received since the June 2009 denial has reopened the claim for service connection of PTSD.

The Board has granted service connection for GERD but has remanded the remaining issues due to outstanding VA and private treatment records, as well as the need for additional examinations.

The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, due to the Veteran's failure to report for a VA examination and lack of evidence linking his current condition to his military service.

The Veteran's MDD has been granted an initial 70 percent rating, effective December 29, 2014. The decision also includes a remand for the TDIU claim.

The Veteran's PTSD with major depressive disorder and panic disorder is granted a 100 percent disability rating. The claim for service connection for sleep apnea (claimed as secondary to service-connected PTSD and/or back disability) is remanded. The issue of entitlement to TDIU prior to June 10, 2015 is dismissed due to the grant of a 100 percent rating for PTSD. The issues of entitlement to an initial disability rating in excess of 20 percent for lumbosacral strain with spondylolisthesis and right knee medial femoral chondromalacia status post tibial osteotomy are remanded.

The claim for service connection for PTSD is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination and stressor verification. The Veteran's PTSD diagnosis has not been confirmed, and his claimed stressors have not been verified.

The Board has determined that a more recent VA examination is required to determine when the Veteran's PTSD originally manifested, and for purposes of determining when entitlement to service connection arose. The appeal must be remanded.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient opinions regarding the Veteran's claimed psychiatric disorders, specifically her PTSD and depression. The case will be addressed on its merits with an addendum opinion from a qualified clinician.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for an increased rating for PTSD and TDIU due to a lack of recent VA treatment records and incomplete employment history information.

The VA has received new and material evidence to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for a lung disability. The Veteran's lung/respiratory disabilities are not causally related to service, but due to his history of chronic smoking. Service connection is denied for an acquired psychiatric disability, alcoholism, and sleep disorder.

The Veteran's appeal regarding a rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD from June 18, 2009 to prior to December 16, 2011 was denied. The Board also found that the issue of service connection for vertigo due to service-connected disabilities needs further development and remanded.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim of service connection for PTSD, finding that he did not meet the criteria for a diagnosis under DSM-V and thus could not establish service connection.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's diabetes mellitus, neurodegenerative disorder, and PTSD and depression. A VA medical opinion is needed in each case.

The Veteran's PTSD and migraine headaches have been granted ratings of 50 percent each, effective as of the date of the decision. The TDIU issue has been remanded.

The Veteran's death was not service-connected, and the claims for throat cancer, enlarged prostate, and PTSD were denied. Therefore, burial benefits are denied.

The Veteran's service-connected thoracolumbar spine disability and PTSD have been granted increased ratings, with the thoracolumbar spine receiving a 40% rating.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and thus denied his claim for TDIU.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and scheduling a new examination to assess the severity of the Veteran's PTSD. The TDIU issue is also being remanded.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the relationship between the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea and his service-connected Type II diabetes mellitus or PTSD. The examiner is requested to provide a detailed opinion on whether the Veteran's sleep apnea is at least as likely as not caused by, or aggravated by, his service-connected conditions.