PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2019

The Board denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date for service connection of PTSD, finding that the correct effective date is September 22, 2016.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to obtain and secure substantial gainful employment.

The Board has determined that the evidence is in equipoise regarding whether the Veteran has PTSD related to service, and thus grants service connection for PTSD.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 70 percent, and the Board has determined that an increased rating in excess of this level is not warranted due to the severity of his symptoms.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to November 13, 2015.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA and private medical records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the etiology of his right ankle disability. The initial rating claim for PTSD remains denied.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD prevents him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board has granted entitlement to Total Disability Rating Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU).

The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and a psychiatric disorder other than PTSD have been reopened, with the acquired psychiatric disorder now encompassing both PTSD and depressive disorder. Service connection has been granted.,Service connection was also granted for a respiratory disorder, but the case is remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding the pre-service status of the Veteran's allergic rhinitis.

The Veteran's chronic bilateral lower extremity dermatitis was granted a 60% rating for the period between April 1, 2011 and February 28, 2013. A higher rating is not warranted since March 1, 2013.

The Board has vacated the decision granting a rating increase of 70 percent for PTSD prior to February 11, 2015 and denied the claim for entitlement to a higher rating thereafter. The issues of TDIU and service connection for a hysterectomy due to sexual trauma are remanded.

The Veteran's service connection claim for PTSD with substance abuse is granted as his diagnosis of PTSD is linked to a personal assault during active service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD because there was no objective evidence of a competent diagnosis of PTSD, much less attribution to an in-service stressor.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of PTSD due to a clear and unmistakable error was denied as there was no evidence of CUE in the March 2012 rating decision.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation since December 1, 2011. The Board has granted TDIU from that date.

The Veteran's PTSD with alcohol abuse, liver disorder, IHD, left upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, right upper extremity peripheral neuropathy, hypertensive heart disease, and hypertension are all denied. The Veteran is granted a TDIU effective January 29, 2015.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for PTSD and other service-connected conditions, as well as requests for effective dates, have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of total occupational and social impairment prior to August 6, 2015 or since then.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, is granted as service connection due to the evidence showing a current diagnosis and onset in service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for right ear hearing loss and an acquired psychiatric disorder including PTSD due to lack of current diagnoses.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a TDIU rating as his combined disability rating is only 80%, which does not meet the minimum schedular percentage requirements.

The Veteran's PTSD with MDD is currently rated at 50 percent prior to December 8, 2009; 70 percent from December 8, 2009 to September 12, 2010; and 50 percent from September 13, 2010 to June 13, 2013. The Veteran's claim for a higher rating remains in appellate status as the RO has not assigned the maximum schedular rating.