PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2019

The Veteran's PTSD resulted in occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity, warranting a 50% disability rating since March 16, 2017.

The Board has granted the Veteran's petition to reopen his claim for service connection for PTSD and has determined that he meets the criteria for this disability. The diagnosis of PTSD is related to a verified stressor during active duty training (ACDUTRA).

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination and review of records.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection and increased ratings for various knee, shoulder, and back conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including a mood disorder. The issue of entitlement to total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) is remanded.

The Veteran's PTSD was restored to a 70% rating, and the TBI issue is remanded for further review.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is granted due to the combined effects of his service-connected disabilities, which render him unemployable.

The Veteran's claims for PTSD and anxiety were granted, with an effective date of August 11, 2014. The claim for a higher rating for left foot disability is remanded.

The Veteran's claim for SMC based on the need for regular aid and attendance is granted.,The Veteran's appeal regarding an earlier effective date for service connection for PTSD with depression is remanded.

The Veteran's claim for PTSD was denied in March 2016, and he did not appeal. The Veteran later submitted a petition to reopen his claim on April 5, 2017, which resulted in the grant of service connection for PTSD effective from that date.

The Veteran's claim for a total disability rating due to individual unemployability (TDIU) is denied because the evidence does not show that his service-connected disabilities alone are of sufficient severity to produce unemployability.

The Veteran's service-connected panic disorder with agoraphobia and PTSD has resulted in occupational and social impairment, warranting a disability rating of 70 percent since September 20, 1999.

The Veteran's PTSD caused irritability, anger, detachment, hyperarousal, loss of interest in activities he once enjoyed, strained relationships with his spouse and one child, emotional numbness, dysphoric mood, recurrent distressing memories of in-service trauma, intense or prolonged psychological distress at exposure to internal or external cues that symbolized or resembled in-service trauma, avoidance of distressing memories, thoughts, feelings, and external reminders of the trauma, inability to remember important aspects of the trauma, persistent exaggerated negative beliefs or expectations about himself, others, or the world, persistent negative emotional state, markedly diminished interest or participation in significant activities, concentration problems, chronic sleep impairment, disturbances of motivation and mood, difficulty establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships, difficulty adapting to stressful circumstances, including work or a worklike setting, exaggerated startle response, hypervigilance, flashbacks, nightmares, lack of friends, impaired impulse control, constricted affect, difficulty maintaining employment, caused him to engage in physical and verbal abuse; he was 'a clear danger to self or others.' An initial 70 percent rating for PTSD from January 31, 2013, to June 23, 2015, is granted.

The Veteran's PTSD with MDD was granted a disability rating of 70 percent since April 14, 2017. The symptoms included nightmares, intrusive thoughts and memories, emotional numbing, sleep impairment, hypervigilance, anger, substance abuse, depressed mood, anxiety, flattened affect, disturbances in motivation and mood, difficulty in establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships, difficulty in adapting to stressful circumstances, including work or work like settings, and suicidal ideation.

The Board has remanded the case due to uncertainty about whether the Veteran's service-connected PTSD alone renders him unemployable. Additional medical opinions are needed to clarify this issue.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD as there is no current diagnosis of the condition in accordance with DSM criteria.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate examination and need for clarification of diagnoses, particularly regarding PTSD and depressive disorder. The Veteran's service treatment records indicate depression in service, which may be related to his current condition.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not meet the criteria for a TDIU as they are not shown to be of such severity as to effectively preclude all forms of substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date of September 26, 2007 for the grant of service connection for PTSD has been granted. The Board also remanded two issues: entitlement to a higher initial rating for PTSD and entitlement to TDIU.

The appeals for PTSD rating, reopening the lung disorder claim, and TDIU have been dismissed due to the Veteran's death.