PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2021

The Board has granted SMC at the intermediate rate between 38 U.S.C. § 1114(l) and (m), but has remanded for a determination on whether a higher rate is warranted due to additional VA treatment records.

The Veteran's TDIU claim was dismissed because he did not submit the required VA Form 21-8940, which would have provided critical information necessary to adjudicate his claim. The evidence of record is insufficient to determine whether the Veteran has been rendered unable to obtain or maintain gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and diabetes-related conditions, render him unable to continue working in any substantially gainful capacity. The Board has determined that he is entitled to a TDIU based on the combined rating of his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent from April 20, 2017 to January 30, 2018. The Board found that the evidence showed significant impairment in social and occupational functioning.

The Veteran's service-connected left shoulder and PTSD disabilities do not render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation from October 5, 2009. The Board denied entitlement to total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU) on an extraschedular consideration basis.

The Veteran's right hand disability is rated as 10 percent disabling, effective January 26, 2021.,A 10 percent rating for degenerative joint disease of the left hand digits was granted prior to January 3, 2020. The claim for a higher rating from that date remains denied.,The Veteran's left hand disability is rated as 10 percent disabling effective January 26, 2021. The claim for a higher rating remains denied.,PTSD with dysthymic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder was granted a 100 percent rating effective January 8, 2020. The Veteran's prior claims for increased ratings remain denied.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to issues with the qualifications of the medical opinion provider and for obtaining updated clinical records. The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, as secondary to PTSD, will be reconsidered.

The appeal for the issues of entitlement to service connection for alcoholism secondary to PTSD, permanent and total disability rating for service-connected disabilities, and TDIU is dismissed due to the appellant's death.

The Veteran's appeals for earlier effective dates for TDIU and SMC at the housebound rate were denied as he was engaged in substantially gainful occupation until February 2, 2011.

The Veteran's claims for headaches, sleep apnea, and an acquired psychiatric disorder have been reopened. Service connection has been granted for these conditions.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's in-service stressors and the relationship between her acquired psychiatric disorders and military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence and need for further development, including obtaining medical records and verifying in-service exposure.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU prior to December 19, 2018 is being remanded due to the need for additional evidence and a review by the Director of Compensation Service.

The Veteran's PTSD symptoms did not meet the criteria for a disability rating in excess of 70 percent prior to August 30, 2018.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating for PTSD and a total rating based on unemployability has been dismissed due to the appellant's death.

The Board denied service connection for a right hip disorder as secondary to the service-connected left ankle and foot disabilities. However, it granted service connection for PTSD and adjustment disorder with anxiety and depression.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim, as her character of service discharge from Other Than Honorable to Honorable, removing a statutory bar to VA benefits.

The Board has decided that the Veteran's claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and depression, needs to be remanded due to incomplete medical records from his time in prison. The VA will make efforts to obtain these records and complete any necessary development.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his DDD of the thoracolumbar spine was denied. The appeals for service connection for sleep apnea and for a higher rating for TBI from August 10, 2012 to January 2, 2018 are remanded.

The Veteran's PTSD prior to November 2, 2016 did not meet the criteria for a higher rating as his symptoms were not severe enough to warrant an increased disability rating.