PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2021

The Board has decided the case is not ready for final decision and has ordered additional development to determine if the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including PTSD, are related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for obstructive sleep apnea, PTSD, and colon ulcers with hole due to inadequate reasoning in previous opinions. The cases are returned to the AOJ for further development.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for cognitive impairment disorder was denied as no new and material evidence was received.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was denied as no new and material evidence was received.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for depression was denied as no new and material evidence was received.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension was denied as no new and material evidence was received.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for asbestosis was denied as no new and material evidence was received.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for insomnia was denied as no new and material evidence was received.

The Veteran's PTSD with alcohol use disorder is rated at 100% since October 19, 2011. Bilateral pes planus with right foot hallux valgus is rated at 50% since February 28, 2005. The left knee limitation of flexion and medial meniscal tear are separately rated at 10% and 20%, respectively.

The Board denied the appellant's request to extend the delimiting date for Dependents’ Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits beyond June 10, 2001 due to a lack of evidence showing that she had a physical or mental disability preventing her from initiating or completing her chosen program of education.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a TDIU due to insufficient evidence showing he was unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment, despite his service-connected PTSD. The Veteran did not complete and return the required VA Form 21-8940.

The Veteran's PTSD with MDD and left lower extremity radiculopathy are not rated higher than the current assigned ratings of 70 percent for PTSD and 20 percent for radiculopathy, respectively.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent, and the Board has remanded the case for further consideration. The Veteran was seeking a higher initial rating.

The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of her service-connected acquired psychiatric disability is remanded due to inadequate VA examinations and the need for a new examination.

The Veteran was granted TDIU from December 8, 2008 to April 10, 2019 due to his service-connected PTSD. However, TDIU since April 11, 2019 is denied as the other service-connected conditions do not meet the criteria for TDIU.

The Board has determined that there may be outstanding VA and SSA records, and therefore the claims are being remanded for further development.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) as his service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the case due to an insufficient opinion regarding the Veteran's PTSD diagnosis and its relation to his in-service stressor. The VA examiner needs to provide a new opinion on whether the verified in-service stressor is adequate for the diagnosis of PTSD.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD did not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to May 12, 2017. The Board denied the TDIU claim as there was no evidence of unemployability due to his PTSD.

The Board has granted a 100 percent evaluation for service-connected PTSD from April 27, 2016 to the present, finding that the Veteran's PTSD resulted in total social and occupational impairment.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD and CAD prevented him from securing or following substantially gainful employment prior to February 11, 2009. The Board found the evidence at least in equipoise as to whether he was unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's PTSD prior to February 17, 2018 resulted in occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity. The Board granted an initial rating of 50 percent for this period.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's PTSD is related to his military service and grants the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's PTSD and TDIU claims are being remanded for further action, including obtaining employment information from the Veteran.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, hypertension, and PTSD have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of onset in service or causation to any service-connected conditions.