PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2020

The Veteran's service connection for hypertension is granted. The appeal for a rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD and the TDIU claim are denied.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent and the Board has remanded both his claim for a higher rating and his TDIU claim due to insufficient evidence regarding his employment history.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD prior to December 19, 2019, is denied. The Board also notes that the issues of service connection for right upper extremity and left upper extremity radiculopathy are remanded due to lack of an opinion on secondary service connection.

The Veteran's PTSD secondary to military sexual trauma has been rated at 70 percent, reflecting significant occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking or mood.

The Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for PTSD, persistent depressive disorder, gastrointestinal disorders, colon resection, hypertension, diabetes mellitus type II, hernia disorder, right knee disorder, back disorder, left shoulder disorder, peripheral neuropathy of the hands and feet, and sinusitis has been granted. The claims are remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for hypertension, OSA, an acquired psychiatric disorder to include PTSD, and a disability manifested by fatigue due to incomplete records and need for further medical opinions.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a 30 percent rating for PTSD was denied, as the earliest assignable date is July 20, 2011. The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for PTSD prior to January 11, 2018 and thereafter were also denied.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of a traumatic brain injury and PTSD, as well as the rating and effective date issues related to PTSD, need further investigation. Specifically, they require an addendum opinion regarding whether the Veteran’s TBI is at least as likely as not related to an in-service head injury.

The Board denied an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for PTSD, finding that the Veteran's symptoms did not meet the criteria for a higher disability rating.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinion regarding the relationship between the Veteran's current psychiatric disorder and his military service, specifically rescue missions and witnessing wounded soldiers in Vietnam.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for special monthly compensation based on aid and attendance due to his ability to dress himself, keep himself clean, feed himself, attend to personal needs, and protect himself from daily hazards.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient verification of the Veteran's claimed stressors and a need for further examination to determine if any diagnosed psychiatric disorders are related to service.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for PTSD and TDIU.,There is no evidence showing that the Veteran was unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment due to service-connected disabilities prior to March 2, 2017.

The Veteran's disability rating for other trauma and stressor related disorder (previously PTSD) is granted at a 50 percent level prior to June 18, 2018. From that date, the Veteran's claim for an increased rating was denied.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and Major Depressive Disorder due to insufficient evidence. A VA examination is required.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him in need of regular aid and attendance of another person, but he does not meet the criteria for SMC based on housebound status.

The Board dismissed the appeal as it adjudicated all issues related to effective dates and disability ratings in a previous decision, leaving no new errors of fact or law for consideration.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The claim for bilateral hearing loss was reopened but not granted, the right hip osteoarthritis and PTSD were both denied, and the acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD was also denied.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus is rated as 20 percent disabling, and the Board has found that a higher rating is not warranted. The PTSD claim is remanded for further examination and evaluation. TDIU is also remanded due to inextricably intertwined issues.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for increased ratings for PTSD, bilateral knee disabilities, and service connection for a lumbar spine disability due to additional VA treatment records and need for addendum opinions.