PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2019

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for further development due to incomplete records and need for additional medical opinions. The claims include service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability other than PTSD, secondary to coronary artery disease, and a claim for an initial compensable evaluation for peripheral arterial disease (PAD) secondary to diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent throughout the appeal period, effective from March 29, 2008. A TDIU was also granted.

The Veteran's claims for service connection on multiple conditions, including anemia, cirrhosis of the liver, lumbar spine condition, diabetes, duodenal malformation, esophageal condition, hypertension, psychiatric disorder (PTSD), retinopathy of the right eye, and thrombocytopenia are being remanded due to duty-to-assist errors. The Veteran is requested to provide any relevant evidence not previously submitted.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for an earlier effective date for service connection for cause of death and entitlement to aid and attendance as a surviving spouse, finding that December 21, 2018 is the earliest date entitlement arose due to the submission of new and material evidence linking the Veteran’s death to his service-connected PTSD.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have precluded him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation for the period on appeal.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, and for a TDIU due to unresolved issues regarding his claimed stressors in service. The VA will attempt to obtain the Veteran’s complete service personnel records (SPRs) and verify any specific stressor events he alleges.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unemployable or unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation for the period from November 30, 2012 to September 16, 2014.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for PTSD was dismissed as the Veteran withdrew his appeal prior to a decision.,The Board has remanded several issues including: Degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine, Left ankle peroneal tendonitis, Right ankle disability, Left foot disability (to include hammer toes and arthritis), Right foot disability (to include hammer toes and arthritis), and Skin disorder (other than eczema, to include basal cell carcinoma).

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate examination and incomplete stressor verification. A new VA examination is needed to determine if the Veteran meets the criteria for PTSD, and whether any diagnosed psychiatric disorders are related to service.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination, including obtaining service treatment records and scheduling VA examinations to assess the Veteran's lumbar spine disorder, left foot disorder, hemorrhoids, and PTSD.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for spousal dependency benefits, finding that the earliest legal possible effective date was December 1, 2015.

The Veteran's claims for effective dates earlier than August 16, 2016, for the grants of service connection for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine, and radiculopathy of the lower left extremity were denied.,The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD was denied.,The Veteran's claims for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus were denied.,The Veteran's claim for a 20 percent rating for radiculopathy of the lower left extremity was granted, subject to further review.,The Veteran's claim for TDIU was granted.

The Veteran's PTSD with TBI symptoms have been evaluated as a single condition, resulting in a 50 percent rating. The Board found that the Veteran’s symptoms do not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete service treatment records and personnel records, which are needed to determine if the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder is related to military sexual trauma (MST).

The Veteran's initial increased ratings for posttraumatic stress disorder are remanded due to the need for a current examination and updated VA treatment records. The issue of entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability is deferred pending the results of the examination.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the temporary total rating and increased rating for PTSD was denied.,The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the 70 percent rating for PTSD was denied. The Board found that there is no medical evidence relating to the Veteran’s PTSD in the one year prior to his February 2017 application.,The Veteran's claim for a 100 percent rating for PTSD was granted, effective March 1, 2017.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's Generalized Anxiety Disorder is related to service and grants service connection for it. However, due to insufficient evidence regarding PTSD, the case is remanded for further evaluation.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent, and the Board found that a higher rating is not warranted due to his symptoms being more consistent with a 70 percent disability rating.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was granted with an effective date of December 14, 2017. The Board found that the earliest date of receipt of a claim is December 14, 2017, and thus denied her request for an earlier effective date.

The Veteran's chronic PTSD is currently rated at 70 percent from October 14, 2010 to October 7, 2018. The appeal for a higher initial evaluation for PTSD was denied.,Prior to October 8, 2018, the Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from securing and following any substantially gainful employment, thus his claim for TDIU prior to that date was also denied.