PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2021

The Board dismissed all appeals due to the Veteran's death, including those for PTSD, prostate cancer, anemia, and ischemic heart disease.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including diabetes mellitus, chronic diarrhea, ischemic heart disease, peripheral neuropathy, and PTSD with depression and anxiety, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board has granted a TDIU based on this finding.

The Veteran's claims for service connection related to difficulty swallowing, a broken nose, left and right hand disabilities, sinusitis, a right hip disability, Hepatitis C, an acquired psychiatric disability (including PTSD and schizoaffective disorder), and bilateral eye disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional development.,The Veteran's claims for service connection related to difficulty swallowing, a broken nose, left and right hand disabilities, sinusitis, a right hip disability, Hepatitis C, an acquired psychiatric disability (including PTSD and schizoaffective disorder), and bilateral eye disabilities are being remanded due to the need for additional development.

The Veteran's PTSD has been granted a 70 percent rating since July 6, 2020. The effective date for this grant of service connection is denied.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for higher ratings for service-connected PTSD, so the case is dismissed.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including prostate cancer and other specified trauma and stress related disorder (formerly PTSD), have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation since August 1, 2015.

The Board has granted service connection for erectile dysfunction, low back arthritis, and bilateral lower extremity sciatica as secondary to service-connected disabilities. Service connection for ischemic heart disease (IHD) and hypertension have been denied.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea is caused by or aggravated by her service-connected PTSD.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to October 10, 2015 for service connection for CAD is denied. The Veteran was granted a 60 percent rating for his CAD in March 2019. Service connection for PTSD is denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient examination reports and the need for a new opinion on whether the Veteran's service-connected musculoskeletal disabilities caused or aggravated his obesity, which in turn caused or aggravated his obstructive sleep apnea.

The Veteran was granted TDIU for the periods from March 13, 1998 to December 31, 1999 and from July 8, 2003 to December 31, 2005 due to his service-connected PTSD.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, was denied. The appeal also included a request for an effective date prior to October 21, 2015, which was denied as well.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA examination and opinion regarding the Veteran's psychiatric disability. The case needs to be further developed with a supplemental VA opinion.

The Board has determined that a 70 percent evaluation is warranted for PTSD from August 5, 2014. However, the issue of whether an evaluation in excess of 70 percent is warranted would be remanded due to outstanding medical evidence.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating of diabetes mellitus type II and a TDIU was denied. The Board found that the criteria for higher ratings were not met, and the combined disability rating did not meet the threshold for a TDIU.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for PTSD and TDIU are being remanded due to the submission of new evidence, a hearing request, and challenges regarding the competency of an examiner.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not preclude him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation prior to July 29, 2021. The Board denied entitlement to TDIU benefits.

The Veteran's resistant hypertension, a primary cause of his death, is found to be secondary to his service-connected PTSD. The claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is therefore granted.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of PTSD is denied as the earliest permitted by law is February 25, 2013, when VA received his initial claim.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD and an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, finding that there was no confirmed diagnosis of PTSD related to a confirmed in-service stressor.