PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2019

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and need for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records, service personnel records, and investigating stressors. The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders are being evaluated further.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hypertension, neuropathy of the feet secondary to prostate cancer treatment, PTSD, and residuals of prostate cancer due to lack of sufficient medical opinions regarding service connection.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for a 70% rating for PTSD, finding no factually ascertainable increase in disability within the one-year period prior to October 31, 2017.

The Veteran's PTSD rating was reduced from 70% to 50%, but the appeal for restoration of the 70% rating is granted.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and PTSD are being remanded due to inadequate examination reports.,VA is required to obtain updated treatment records and reschedule the Veteran for a new VA psychiatric examination.

The Board has granted an initial 70 percent rating for PTSD, a TDIU based on service-connected disabilities, and denied service connection for sleep apnea. The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent under the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders.

The Veteran's PTSD is granted as service connection, established based on the medical nexus between his in-service stressors and current symptoms.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is remanded due to the inextricably intertwined issues of increased ratings for PTSD, hearing loss, and prostate cancer residuals, as well as service connection for tremors. Additionally, unassociated Vet Center records are needed.

The Veteran's PTSD resulted in occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas, warranting a 70 percent rating for the entire initial period on appeal.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further examination and evaluation due to the need for an adequate nexus opinion regarding his claimed erectile dysfunction and sleep apnea.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to concerns about the credibility of the Veteran's account and a need for further medical evaluation.

The Veteran is found unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation due to his service-connected disabilities, which include PTSD, left thigh gunshot wound with compound fracture of femur, and other physical conditions. The Board finds that the evidence supports this determination.

The Veteran's PTSD was rated at 50 percent prior to September 17, 2018.,Effective September 17, 2018, the Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent.,TDIU was granted as of July 29, 2017.

The Veteran died of heart failure, but there is no evidence linking his death to service-connected conditions. The Board denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's lumbosacral strain, left knee strain, and right knee strain are all found to have been incurred in service. The Veteran's PTSD is also found to be related to an in-service personal assault.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD and granted TDIU due to service-connected PTSD, but both decisions are subject to further review.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection on several conditions due to his withdrawal of those claims at a hearing.

The Board has remanded the case due to procedural issues and new evidence received within one year of the July 2016 rating decision. The Veteran's claim for higher initial ratings for his service-connected psychiatric disabilities will be adjudicated again.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD should be remanded due to the need for a VA examination.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding the impact of his PTSD on his ability to work.