PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2020

The Veteran's claim for service connection for disability manifested by memory loss is denied as there is no evidence of a current diagnosis.,The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for radiculopathy, sciatic nerve, right and left lower extremities prior to February 8, 2017 are denied as the evidence does not support an increase in rating beyond 10 percent.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for a right shoulder disorder, left shoulder disorder, right knee disorder, and left knee disorder are remanded due to the need for additional VA examinations and etiological opinions.,The Veteran's claim for TDIU is also remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with his service connection claims.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied in April 2006, and the denial became final. New evidence received since then did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder was also denied as there was no competent evidence showing that it was related to service.

The Board has granted a 70 percent rating for the Veteran's PTSD, but his request for a higher rating is denied. The agency of original jurisdiction (RO) needs to implement this decision promptly.

The Veteran's PTSD is granted a 70 percent rating, but the right foot and cervical spine disabilities are remanded for further development.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and other specified anxiety disorder, is rated at 50 percent prior to January 16, 2018. From April 1, 2018 onwards, the rating has been increased to 70 percent.,PTSD alone is rated at 70 percent from April 1, 2018.

The Veteran's claim for a separate 10 percent rating for tinnitus from August 26, 2013 is granted. The earlier effective date and compensable rating claims are remanded.

The Veteran requested to withdraw all his appeal issues, including those related to lumbar spine disability and PTSD. As a result, the Board dismissed the appeal.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU due to service-connected disabilities was denied as his unemployability is not solely due to these conditions.,The Veteran's claim for SMC based on the need for aid and attendance of another person or housebound status was also denied, with the main reasons being that his non-service connected conditions are the primary causes of his disability.

The Board has ordered a remand to obtain an addendum opinion from the August 2010 VA examiner regarding the etiology of the Veteran's PTSD, as the Court found that the Board did not comply with its previous May 2017 remand order. The new service records include the Veteran's entrance examination and other military personnel records.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and his claim for total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) is denied.

The Board has dismissed all claims of service connection due to the Veteran's death.

The Board denied service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his service-connected PTSD did not contribute substantially or materially to his death.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent, the highest available rating under DC 9411. The Board found that his symptoms did not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD due to MST is dismissed because the claim has been granted and rendered moot. The Board also remanded the issue of service connection for Schizophrenia.

The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and depressive disorder, due to lack of jurisdiction under the modernized appeals system (AMA).

The Board denied an earlier effective date for service connection due to the lack of a prior claim for PTSD or any psychiatric disability before October 20, 2010.

The Board has denied service connection for left ear hearing loss and remanded the issues of rating PTSD, right mid back shrapnel fragment wound residuals, and left volar forearm shrapnel fragment wound residuals.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 70 percent since July 12, 2011. The rating is granted as the disability results in occupational and social impairment due to mild or transient symptoms that decrease work efficiency and ability to perform occupational tasks only during periods of significant stress.

The Board has determined that new evidence received since the final denial of service connection for PTSD in August 2016 supports a diagnosis of PTSD, which is considered a condition for which service connection may be granted. As such, the claim for service connection for PTSD is being readjudicated.

The Board denied service connection for lumbar spondylosis and granted a 100 percent rating for PTSD effective March 29, 2015. The decision on the earlier effective date for PTSD is pending.