PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2020

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's claimed conditions and their relationship to his military service.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70% prior to March 14, 2014 and granted a 100% rating from that date. The Board found the Veteran’s PTSD warranted such ratings based on his severe symptoms including suicidal ideation, panic attacks, and social isolation.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's lumbar spine disorder and acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD) claims should be remanded for further development.

The Board has granted an effective date of April 9, 2010 for the grant of a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) and special monthly compensation (SMC) at the housebound rate. The Veteran's service-connected PTSD/psychological disorder, along with other service-connected disabilities, rendered him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment since April 9, 2010.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent, but the Board denied an increased rating for PTSD as his symptoms did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board dismissed the claim for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for postoperative residuals of December 1999 lumbar surgery.,The Board granted service connection for PTSD, finding that personal assault or harassment during service caused the condition.

The Veteran's service records do not show any complaints or diagnoses related to tinnitus, erectile dysfunction, low testosterone level, a neurological disability, or an acquired psychiatric disorder. The Board found the evidence insufficient to establish these conditions as being incurred in or aggravated by his military service.,There is no credible evidence linking the Veteran’s current conditions of tinnitus, erectile dysfunction, low testosterone level, a neurological disability, and/or an acquired psychiatric disorder to his active duty service.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection have been remanded due to the need for further development of evidence. The initial compensable rating claim for allergic rhinitis was denied, while the PTSD claim remains pending with a recommendation for remand.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to deficiencies in the record, including internal inconsistencies in the most recent VA PTSD examination and lack of discussion of critical lay evidence. The Veteran should be afforded a new VA psychiatric examination with a medical opinion.

The Veteran's PTSD, right knee DJD and left knee ACL tear residuals, and bilateral plantar fasciitis are all remanded for further examination to determine their current severity.

The Veteran's petition to reopen his claim for service connection for chronic sinusitis was denied. Claims for service connection for ischemic heart disease, a chronic disability manifested by hemoccult positive stools, an acquired psychiatric disability (likely PTSD), and chronic insomnia were also denied.

The Veteran's claims for an increased rating for PTSD and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and consideration of his symptoms.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical evidence regarding the Veteran's claimed psychiatric disabilities, specifically PTSD. The Veteran is required to provide additional information and authorize VA to obtain any relevant private treatment records. A new VA mental disorders examination will be conducted to determine the etiology of all acquired psychiatric disorders.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD does not render him unemployable due to his symptoms, as there is insufficient evidence regarding his education, skills, and current employment.

The Veteran's PTSD with depressive disorder and alcohol abuse is rated at 70 percent, but the Board found no evidence of total occupational and social impairment warranting a higher rating.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD and for a TDIU due to service-connected disability. The issues are being remanded because there is insufficient evidence, including inadequate VA medical opinions and missing treatment records.

Your claims for service connection for arthritis, PTSD, and memory loss have been dismissed as your appeal was withdrawn from the Legacy appeals system due to your election into the Rapid Appeals Modernization Program (RAMP).

The Veteran's PTSD with TBI was rated at 50 percent prior to April 19, 2019 and increased to 70 percent thereafter. The Board denied an increase in rating for the condition.,The criteria for a higher rating were not met as there was no evidence of occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas or total occupational and social impairment.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD, finding that the Veteran's reported in-service stressor occurred and his symptoms meet the criteria for a PTSD diagnosis.

The Veteran's anorgasmia, caused by his service-connected PTSD, meets the criteria for SMC based on loss of use of a creative organ.