PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2020

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a prostate disorder has been reopened and granted.,Service connection is established for PTSD. The Veteran's in-service stressors are considered credible.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of PTSD and therefore, service connection for PTSD is denied. The case is remanded to determine if the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability (including major depressive disorder) is related to his active service or secondary to his service-connected sleep apnea.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's current sleep apnea is related to his in-service sleep issues and/or his service-connected PTSD.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder. The claim for service connection is pending and will be addressed again after further development.

The Veteran's PTSD and MDD were granted a 50% rating for the period prior to May 4, 2015. The claim for a higher rating was denied as of May 4, 2015.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and an acquired psychiatric disorder (other than PTSD), to include depression and/or anxiety, finding that there is no credible evidence verifying the claimed in-service stressors. The issues have been remanded for further development.

The Board granted a 70 percent rating for the Veteran's psychiatric disability and awarded a TDIU, finding that his service-connected disability rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claim for service connection for a sleep disability, to include as secondary to PTSD, should be remanded due to new evidence received since the last Supplemental Statement of the Case (SSOC).

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 70 percent since November 13, 2001. The rating is granted for the entire period on appeal.

The Veteran's PTSD, adjustment disorder with depressed mood, and alcohol use disorder were initially rated at 30 percent prior to March 4, 2015. From that date until April 30, 2017, the rating was increased to 50 percent. However, from May 1, 2017 forward, a higher rating is denied.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 50 percent, and his IBS is rated at 30 percent. His combined rating is 70 percent, qualifying him for TDIU based on the schedular criteria.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus were granted with effective dates of October 17, 2014.,However, the Board denied earlier effective dates as the date of entitlement was prior to October 17, 2014.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD is granted a 100 percent rating prior to December 4, 2019.

The Veteran was granted a 30 percent rating for headaches prior to June 30, 2016.,However, the Veteran's PTSD claim was denied as his symptoms did not meet the criteria for a higher disability rating.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment, except for his lumbar spine disability which may impact sedentary work. The Board finds the Veteran is not entitled to TDIU prior to April 23, 2018.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, diabetes mellitus, and other conditions that have rendered him unable to maintain gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the claims for headaches, obstructive sleep apnea, acquired psychiatric disability (including PTSD with sleep disorder), degenerative arthritis of the thoracolumbar spine, and a nerve disability due to additional development being required.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD alone renders him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation, leading to the grant of TDIU for the entire period on appeal.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unemployable for the period from November 2, 2015 to December 17, 2016. The Board denied entitlement to TDIU as his disabilities did not prevent him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.