PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2020

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date for his PTSD rating. The issue of a remanded effective date for the 50 percent PTSD rating is pending.

The Veteran's claim for PTSD with unspecified depressive disorder is granted, and her left hip strain is remanded for further review.

The Board has remanded the case due to evidence suggesting a psychiatric disorder, including PTSD. The Veteran's service connection claim for PTSD and related stressors is being reviewed further.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disorder and granted it, finding a positive nexus to service.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim of service connection for a cervical spine disability. The case is REMANDED to obtain additional VA treatment records, schedule examinations for PTSD, migraine and mixed muscle contraction type headaches, DDD of the lumbosacral spine, and radiculopathy, and to provide an examination regarding the nature and etiology of any cervical spine disability.

The Veteran's PTSD prior to May 25, 2017 was rated at 70 percent. Beginning May 25, 2017, the Veteran's PTSD is rated at 100 percent.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's sleep apnea may be related to her service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder, but more evidence is needed for a final decision.

The Veteran was granted a total disability rating for compensation purposes based on individual unemployability due to service-connected PTSD effective December 26, 2014. The decision also addressed the period prior to this date and found that the Veteran did not meet the schedular requirements for a TDIU at that time.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD and set the effective date at February 8, 2013, which is when VA received the Veteran's petition to reopen his claim.

The Board has granted a TDIU from October 29, 2007 and remanded the SMC based on need for regular aid and attendance.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for PTSD was denied, and his earlier effective date claim was also denied. The Board found the evidence insufficient to warrant a higher rating or an earlier effective date.

The Veteran's service-connected residuals of a fractured spine at the T-12 vertebra are rated as 40 percent disabling, which is the maximum rating available under the General Rating Formula for Diseases or Injuries of the Spine. The appeal for an increased rating has been denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the onset of PTSD and a need for further examination. The Veteran's service in Germany is noted, but no specific exposure basis was provided.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including major depressive disorder, schizophrenia, adjustment disorder, and PTSD, is reopened. The appeal is granted to this limited extent.

The Veteran's PTSD rating was reduced from 70 to 50 percent, and he is requesting restoration of the 70 percent rating. The Board has also remanded his claim for TDIU due to service-connected PTSD.

The Veteran's sleep apnea is currently service-connected but the Board finds conflicting evidence and requires an updated VA medical opinion to determine if it is proximately due to or aggravated by his service-connected PTSD, CAD, or tinnitus.

The Veteran's appeal for higher ratings for PTSD is being remanded due to new evidence added after the last Supplemental Statement of the Case.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and examination, including to verify in-service stressors and determine the nature and etiology of hearing loss, PTSD, anxiety, depressive disorder, and TMJ.

The Board has remanded the claims for an acquired psychiatric disorder, hearing loss, and tinnitus due to inadequate examination reports. The Veteran's service connection claims are being remanded for new examinations.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA examination, and now requires a new examination to determine if the Veteran's psychiatric disorders are related to his service.