PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2019

The Board denied service connection for PTSD, MDD, and Sleep Apnea. The Veteran's claims were based on direct evidence of current diagnoses without a verified in-service stressor or other causative link.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an increased rating for his acquired psychiatric disorder and basic eligibility to Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) due to incomplete development of records and need for a VA examination.

The Veteran's service connection claims for acquired psychiatric disorder, PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus are remanded due to the need for additional examinations.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a new VA examination to determine the etiology of any acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD. The Veteran's service includes active duty in the Marine Corp and Army.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and other acquired psychiatric disorders. A new VA examination is needed to determine if these conditions are related to military service.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 70 percent since July 25, 2014. The rating was increased to 50 percent as of June 25, 2018. A TDIU was granted effective from July 25, 2014.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD because the most probative evidence indicates that the Veteran does not currently have PTSD.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for Crohn's disease, COPD, and PTSD were denied. The claim for accrued benefits for PTSD was granted with a disability rating of 50%. The Veteran was also granted TDIU based on his PTSD.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD and remanded several other claims due to additional VA treatment records being associated with the case. The new evidence includes a private medical opinion diagnosing PTSD as exacerbated by complications of surgery related to CAD.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 50 percent, and the Board denied a higher rating. The claim for TDIU was also denied.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for his service-connected PTSD is dismissed. The appeal for increased ratings of PTSD prior to June 22, 2017, and from June 22, 2017 onwards, are granted with a 50% rating and 100% rating respectively.

The Board has remanded several issues related to the Veteran's claims, including service connection for histrionic personality disorder, PTSD due to military sexual trauma, bipolar disorder, and an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for other specified anxiety disorder with symptoms of depression. The AOJ is instructed to request private treatment records from TCN in Xenia, develop a claim for TDIU, issue a statement of the case regarding the earlier effective date for service connection, and readjudicate the issues considering all evidence added since the June 2018 statement of the case.

The Veteran's PTSD and depression have been rated at 70 percent, effective August 11, 2008. Additionally, the Board has granted a TDIU based on his service-connected psychiatric disabilities.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than August 11, 2017 for special monthly compensation (SMC) at the R-2 rate due to insufficient evidence showing a need for higher level care on a daily basis.

The Veteran's PTSD prior to September 20, 2017 was rated at 50 percent disabling. From September 20, 2017, the combined rating for PTSD and TBI is also 70 percent.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD with depressive disorder and coronary artery disease, have rendered him unable to maintain any form of substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and occupational background. The Board has found that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether he is unable to secure and follow such employment.

The Board has decided the case in favor of the Veteran and has ordered a remand to gather more information about his psychiatric conditions, particularly PTSD.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to the Veteran's failure to appear for VA examinations related to his claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than bipolar disorder. The Veteran is given one last opportunity to provide information and attend a VA examination.

The Board has determined that the reduction in the disability rating for PTSD from 70 to 50 percent, effective June 1, 2018, is improper and remanded. The TDIU issue is also being remanded due to its interdependence with the reduction issue.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's continued medical emergency from August 8, 2016 to August 26, 2016 was of such a nature that he could not have been safely discharged or transferred to a VA or other Federal facility. Therefore, payment or reimbursement for his inpatient rehabilitation treatment at St. Alphonsus is granted.