PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2019

The Veteran's PTSD is granted as service-connected. The skin disabilities and bilateral hearing loss are remanded for further examination and opinion.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for service connection of PTSD, finding that the Veteran did not file a valid appeal before May 7, 2015. The decision also found no clear and unmistakable error in denying service connection for PTSD in October 2011.

The Veteran's PTSD was granted a disability rating of 50 percent prior to June 23, 2015.,For the period following June 23, 2015, the Veteran's PTSD did not meet the criteria for a higher disability rating.

The Veteran's death was attributed to COPD and Congestive Heart Failure, with PTSD being suggested as a contributing factor. The Board has ordered additional development to determine if the Veteran had PTSD due to service and whether it contributed to his death.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and depression, finding that the Veteran's current mental health conditions are related to his military service. The stressor of witnessing a friend commit suicide by jumping overboard during service is considered sufficient to support a diagnosis of PTSD.

The Board has remanded the issues of termination of TDIU, severance of service connection for PTSD and fibromyalgia, reductions in ratings for peripheral neuropathy and lumbar disc desiccation, and termination of SMC based on housebound status. The reasons for this are to obtain additional OIG reports.

The Veteran's PTSD, left ear hearing loss, and right ear hearing loss claims have been denied. The Board found no direct service connection for the conditions due to lack of evidence linking them to military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to procedural issues, including failure to provide a VA examination and scheduling issues related to the Veteran's incarceration.

The appeal for burn injury residuals of the right and left hands is dismissed. The claims for service connection for knee, ankle, and low back disorders are reopened and remanded due to new evidence submitted by the Veteran.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and need for further examination. The Veteran's claims include service connection for PTSD, major depressive disorder, and a psychotic disorder not otherwise specified.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for increased disability rating and reopening of service connection claims, leaving no issues for the Board to review.

The Veteran's death is attributed to natural causes, but the cause of death is not specified on his death certificate. The appellant contends that service-connected PTSD caused or aggravated dementia, which contributed to the Veteran's death. The Board has remanded this issue for a VA medical opinion to assess whether there are medical links between the service-connected PTSD and dementia, as well as whether the Haldol prescribed to manage mental symptoms contributed to the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD is found to have caused his chronic alcoholism, which contributed to his death. Therefore, the claim for DIC based on service connection for the cause of death is granted.

The Board has denied service connection for back disability, acquired psychological disability (other than PTSD), sleep apnea, left knee disability, and right knee disability as there is no evidence of current disabilities during or after service.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD with alcohol and cannabis use disorder is dismissed as the Veteran requested to withdraw his appeal.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's claimed PTSD and other psychiatric conditions. The VA will need to obtain Social Security Administration records, verify the in-service stressor event, and provide a new VA examination.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including an examination to determine if any of the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders are related to his military service or a service-connected disability.

Service connection granted for unspecified depressive disorder and unspecified trauma and stressor related disorder (anxiety) as they are related to service. Service connection denied for PTSD.,Headaches secondary to irritable bowel syndrome were not found, and service connection is remanded.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of tinnitus was reopened and granted. The Veteran's PTSD claim resulted in a denial due to the severity, frequency, and duration of his symptoms not meeting the criteria for an initial evaluation in excess of 50 percent.

The Veteran's PTSD was found to be productive of occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform tasks. The Board denied an increased rating for PTSD, but remanded the issue of service connection for a right hand neurologic disability.