PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2021

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient information regarding the Veteran's psychiatric conditions and their relation to service. The Veteran needs a VA examination to clarify his in-service stressors, reconcile private and VA treatment records, and determine if any other acquired psychiatric disorders are related to service.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD, shoulder injury, and diabetes prevented him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation between December 20, 2002, and March 27, 2007. The Board granted Total Disability Rating Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) effective as of March 27, 2007.

The Board has dismissed the appeal for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, other than MDD/unspecified depressive disorder. The appeals for higher ratings for lumbar strain with degenerative lumbar disc disease, radiculopathy of the right and left lower extremity, and bronchitis and sleep apnea have also been dismissed due to the Veteran's death.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for a clear and unmistakable error in assigning an effective date of April 3, 2008 for service connection of PTSD. The Board also denied the claim for earlier effective date than February 10, 2009 for basic eligibility to Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) under 38 U.S.C. Chapter 35.

The Board has found that additional development is necessary to obtain missing VA Vet Center records and the Veteran's private treatment records. The claims for increased ratings for PTSD, TBI residuals, asthma, and TDIU are being remanded.

The Veteran's claims for PTSD and breathing problems due to asbestos exposure are being remanded as new opinions are needed.,The Veteran's claim for allergic rhinitis is being remanded because his condition may have worsened since the last examination.,The Veteran's claim for right shoulder disability is being remanded due to insufficient evidence of increased severity over time.,Whether the character of the Veteran's discharge during December 1998 to October 2001 constitutes a bar to VA compensation benefits is being remanded as new opinions are needed regarding mental health issues and insanity.,The Veteran's claim for an undiagnosed illness or MUCMI, including weight changes, idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis, spondylitis, autoimmune disease, and chronic fatigue, is being remanded due to the need for clarification of his medical records.,The Veteran's claim for periodic numbness of the lip and jaw (secondary to genioglossal advancement surgery) is being remanded as new opinions are needed regarding the nature and etiology of his condition.,The Veteran's claim for residuals of traumatic brain injury (TBI) is being remanded due to inextricability with the character of discharge issue.,The Veteran's claim for a deviated septum is being remanded due to inextricability with the character of discharge issue.,The Veteran's claim for TDIU is being remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with other claims.

The Board granted service connection for PTSD with major depressive disorder, finding that the Veteran's current psychiatric diagnoses were related to his service and granting the benefit of doubt.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to engage and retain substantially gainful employment, qualifying for TDIU. The Veteran is not in need of regular aid and attendance due to his service-connected disabilities, thus SMC on the basis of aid and attendance is denied.

The Board has remanded the cases due to outstanding treatment records and a need for further examination to determine the nature and etiology of each current acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unemployable prior to February 19, 2013, and the Board has granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) for this period.

The Board has decided to remand the cases for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and a private medical opinion. The Veteran's hypertension may be related to his service-connected PTSD, but this needs further evaluation.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD. The evidence did not support a finding that his current mental health conditions were related to military service.

The appeal for service connection of a psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, is dismissed due to the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD was reduced from a 100% rating to a 70% rating in September 2018. The RO has now restored the 100% rating for PTSD effective December 1, 2018.

The Board dismissed the appeals regarding multiple service connection claims due to the appellant's withdrawal of his appeal.

The Board has granted service connection for aggravation of the low back arthritis by the service-connected left hip disability. The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 50 percent, and his residuals of a gunshot wound of the left hip are rated at 40 percent.

The Veteran was granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities as of July 18, 2017.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD has been granted. The right knee disability claim is being remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's appeal for higher initial disability ratings for PTSD and entitlement to a Total Disability Rating Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) prior to November 11, 2016 is dismissed as moot due to the grants of 100% ratings for PTSD and Crohn's disease.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Stomach Condition, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Sleep Apnea. The claims were dismissed.