PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2019

The Veteran's PTSD was found to be more severe than the current disability rating, resulting in a grant of an initial disability rating of 70 percent.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have made him unable to manage his affairs without assistance and he is now determined to be incompetent for VA purposes. The Board has ordered a new examination to determine if the Veteran needs regular aid and attendance or at the housebound rate.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 70 percent, reflecting occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity. The symptoms do not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death due to alcohol dependence, which was secondary to his service-connected PTSD. The Veteran died from metastatic gastric cancer.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 30 percent since the initial grant of service connection. The Board found that his symptoms did not meet or more nearly approximate the criteria for a higher rating, warranting denial.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for an addendum medical opinion regarding whether the Veteran's GERD is caused or aggravated by her service-connected disabilities, including asthma, sinusitis, and PTSD.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent, and service connection for Hepatitis C, fibromyalgia, sleep apnea, hypertension, and headaches are granted. The initial rating for seborrheic dermatitis remains unchanged.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board finds that it does not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran's PTSD symptoms for the period between August 2014 and February 2017 resulted in total occupational and social impairment, warranting a higher disability rating than the assigned 50 percent.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD and depression was denied in a May 2005 rating decision. The effective date of the current grant of service connection for PTSD is October 29, 2013.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA and private treatment records, verifying in-service stressors, and scheduling a VA psychiatric examination.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, has been granted a disability rating of 70 percent. The case is remanded for further examination and determination regarding service connection for sleep apnea.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of a TDIU is dismissed as a freestanding claim.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for PTSD and an unspecified trauma and stressor related disorder due to new evidence submitted since the last final denial. The Veteran's current psychiatric disorders are found to be related to his in-service stressors, leading to a grant of service connection.

The Veteran's PTSD resulted in total occupational and social impairment beginning November 25, 2014. However, he still maintained his strong relationship with his significant other and had not experienced total social impairment.

The Veteran's PTSD was rated at 70% prior to November 1, 2017 and a TDIU was granted for the period from January 1, 2004 through May 13, 2014. The appeal is denied.

The Veteran's PTSD has been granted an increased rating to 70%, and she is also granted a TDIU based on her service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for TBI, dizziness associated with TBI, and PTSD due to additional VA treatment records being added to the record after the most recent statement of the case. A VA examination is also required to determine if the Veteran sustained a TBI in service and any current residuals.

The Board found that the Veteran's combined disability rating of 90% was correct and denied the claim for a higher combined rating.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received sufficient to reopen the issue of entitlement to service connection for a sleep apnea syndrome. The Veteran's claim is being remanded for further examination and consideration.