PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2019

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 30 percent, effective November 29, 2011. The Board denied an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for PTSD and also denied entitlement to a TDIU prior to June 12, 2015.

The Board has granted service connection for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) based on the Veteran's exposure to combat in Vietnam.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral pes planus has been reopened and granted. The Board found new and material evidence to support the reopening of this claim.,Service connection was established for OSA as secondary to PTSD.

The Veteran's PTSD caused occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity, but did not render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to February 20, 2014. The appeal for an increased rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD from October 5, 2010 to February 19, 2014 is denied. The appeal for TDIU prior to February 20, 2014 is also denied.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and examination, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a psychiatric examination to determine the nature and etiology of any acquired psychiatric disorder.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from obtaining or retaining substantially gainful employment. The Board finds that the Veteran is not unemployable due to his service-connected conditions.

The Veteran's fungal infection of the bilateral feet is denied as there was no evidence of a skin or fungal infection during service. The psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, depressive disorder, and alcohol use disorder, is also denied due to lack of in-service stressors and current evidence not meeting criteria for diagnosis.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection due to new evidence added since the last Statement of the Case. The claims will be reviewed again, including a TDIU claim.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's service-connected bilateral knee disability may have contributed to his current MDD, and thus granted service connection for MDD. The issues of service connection for PTSD and Bipolar Disorder are remanded due to inadequate examination.

The Board has withdrawn the claims of service connection for trench foot and trench mouth, as well as remanded the claim for a respiratory disorder. The acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD) is granted.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a lack of recent VA examination for PTSD, and a new one is required to assess the current severity of the condition.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection due to a failure to provide adequate evidence and notification, finding no clear and unmistakable error in the original decisions.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss have been dismissed.,The claim for a higher rating for PTSD has been denied, as the symptoms do not meet the criteria for a 100% disability rating.

The Veteran's PTSD is granted as service-connected, and the case of additional left eye disability due to VA surgical removal of cataracts is remanded for further review.

An effective date of August 15, 2014, for the award of service connection for PTSD is granted. The Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, left wrist carpal tunnel syndrome, right wrist carpal tunnel syndrome, degenerative arthritis of the wrists, and bilateral knee disabilities are remanded due to the need for additional evidence.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD and tinnitus have prevented him from securing or maintaining substantially gainful employment since August 19, 2016. His TDIU claim was granted effective from November 4, 2018.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 50 percent since October 23, 2018. The Board found that the current rating adequately reflects the severity of his symptoms and does not warrant a higher rating.

The Veteran's overpayment debt is due to concurrent receipt of disability compensation benefits and active service pay from December 1, 2016. The Board found the documents insufficient to determine the correct number of drill days and requested military pay records for FY 2017.

The Board has granted service connection for schizophrenia and denied service connection for PTSD and personality disorder. The decision on schizophrenia is based on the presumption of soundness at entry, while the decisions on PTSD and personality disorder are based on direct service connection.

The Veteran's retroactive award of benefits based on a November 2014 rating decision is denied as the calculation was correct and he received all retroactive payments.