PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2020

The Board has remanded the case for additional stressor development and to arrange a VA examination. The Veteran's service personnel records show he served as a Russian linguist aboard multiple flights around the territory of the Soviet Union, which may be relevant to his claimed stressors.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and examination due to issues with verifying a claimed stressor and applying the correct legal standard for secondary service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD was rated at 70 percent from December 12, 2011. The Board found that the symptoms did not warrant a higher rating as they did not meet the criteria for total occupational and social impairment.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent, and his shrapnel wound injury of the right thigh muscle groups XIII and XIV is rated at 10 percent. The claim for compensable rating for residual scars of a right thigh shrapnel wound injury has been withdrawn by the Veteran.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing or maintaining substantially gainful employment, and therefore the claim for TDIU is denied.

The Veteran's service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder prevents him from securing and following substantially gainful employment, meeting the criteria for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD has been reopened due to the submission of new and material evidence. The issue is now pending further adjudication.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's claim regarding whether separate compensable evaluations are warranted for TBI and PTSD, also claimed as vertigo, due to a lack of justiciable case or controversy.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for further development due to inadequate VA examinations. The issues of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and a substance abuse disorder are being remanded.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent, and the Board has denied a higher rating.,The Veteran's IVDS in the lumbar spine is currently rated at 10 percent, and the Board has remanded for further evaluation due to inadequate examination findings.,The Veteran's radiculopathy of the right lower extremity is currently rated at 10 percent, and the Board has also remanded this issue.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD due to new and material evidence. The case is remanded for further development, including obtaining VA treatment records, corroborating in-service stressors, and scheduling a psychiatric examination.

The Veteran's claim for an initial disability rating in excess of 30 percent for PTSD is remanded due to inaccuracies with the November 2015 examination and lack of recent VA treatment records. The Veteran should be scheduled for an updated psychiatric examination.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD is found to have contributed materially to his suicide, which was considered a result of mental unsoundness. Therefore, the cause of death is deemed service connected.

The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his left ear hearing loss and service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder have been remanded due to the need for additional development.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 100 percent effective May 18, 2013. The issue of TDIU prior to April 24, 2017 is dismissed as moot.

The Board has decided to remand the claims for bilateral hearing loss and PTSD due to further development being needed, including obtaining additional audiometric test results and scheduling a VA examination.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 70 percent, and the Board has decided to remand the case for further evaluation due to worsening symptoms.

The Veteran's PTSD with panic disorder is rated at 30 percent prior to March 16, 2017 and 70 percent beginning March 16, 2017. The appeal for higher ratings remains pending as the issues are remanded.

The Veteran's PTSD with adjustment disorder was rated at 50 percent, but the Board found that his symptoms did not meet the criteria for a higher rating due to reduced reliability and productivity.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for a spine condition manifesting in back pain, including fibromyalgia and degenerative arthritis, paralysis of the sciatic nerve of both lower extremities, major depressive disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).,The remaining issues have been denied due to insufficient evidence or lack of nexus between service and current conditions.