PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2019

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, coronary artery disease, diabetes, and peripheral neuropathy, render him unemployable due to their severity.

The Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities prior to April 23, 2012 was denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the schedular criteria for a TDIU and concluded that entitlement on an extraschedular basis is not warranted because the evidence does not reflect he was unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities in effect at that time.

The Veteran's PTSD is granted as service-connected. The case for a sleep disorder, to include insomnia, is remanded.

The Veteran's PTSD is granted an initial 70 percent evaluation, but no higher, effective from March 31, 2014. The Veteran also receives a TDIU from April 3, 2008.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for unspecified obsessive compulsive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and obsessive behavior is remanded due to the need for additional evidence.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of PTSD was denied as the May 2007 Claim form, which was intended to be a formal claim but lacked a signature page, was deemed abandoned. The Veteran submitted his first intent-to-file form and completed claim form on February 14, 2018, after which he received service connection for PTSD effective from that date.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 70 percent, and the Board denied his request for an evaluation in excess of 70 percent. The Veteran also requested TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities, but the Board found that he could still secure and maintain a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD, finding that the Veteran's current diagnosis of PTSD is at least as likely as not related to his service in Vietnam.

The Board has decided to remand the issue of an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for PTSD, but dismissed the claim regarding an earlier effective date for a temporary total rating based on inpatient treatment for PTSD.

The Veteran's claim for PTSD was received on December 27, 2011. Service connection for PTSD was granted with a 70% disability rating effective from that date. The Veteran also met the criteria for TDIU as of December 27, 2011. Therefore, the effective date for DEA benefits is set at December 27, 2011.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent since July 14, 2010. A TDIU was granted from July 14, 2010 to December 12, 2016.

The Board has dismissed the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, claimed as PTSD, because it was granted in a previous rating decision.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination and incomplete treatment records. The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, is being reviewed with a focus on verifying stressors and determining if his current symptoms are related to his in-service experiences.

The Veteran's PTSD has been granted a 70 percent rating, effective from the date of the decision. The Board also found that he is unemployable due to his PTSD and granted TDIU.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD and depression was initially denied in December 2015. The Board has now reopened the claim due to new evidence received since then, which relates to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim (the occurrence of a personal assault during service). The Board finds that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders are related to his in-service personal assault and grants service connection for these conditions.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 50% and now granted a 70% rating, which represents an increase in disability compensation.

The Veteran's PTSD symptoms have resulted in occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas, warranting a 70 percent rating since the effective date of service connection.

The Veteran's PTSD symptoms did not meet the criteria for a 100 percent disability rating, and the Board denied his claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 70 percent.

The Board has determined that the additional medical treatment records and VA examination report are new and material, and thus remanded for initial review by the AOJ. The claim will be reconsidered with consideration to these newly reviewed evidence.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not meet the criteria for financial assistance for an automobile and adaptive equipment, or adaptive equipment only.