PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2022

The appeal regarding the initial evaluation for PTSD with MDD and the effective date of service connection is dismissed due to the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for left ear hearing loss, right ear hearing loss, and bilateral tinnitus have been denied as there is no current diagnosis of these conditions.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for dermatitis has been remanded due to the lack of a VA examination addressing his chest condition.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation, warranting a TDIU based on PTSD and prostate cancer.

The Veteran's appeal for a TDIU prior to November 3, 2017 is remanded due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The issue will be referred to the Director of Compensation Service for extraschedular consideration.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him so helpless as to require the regular aid and attendance of another person to perform personal care functions of everyday living or to protect himself from hazards and dangerous incidents.

The Veteran's TDIU claim was denied as he was not found to be unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete records and issues being inextricably intertwined with another issue.

The Veteran's appeal of the timeliness of his Substantive Appeal for PTSD was granted, and the underlying claim is reinstated.

The Veteran's claims for PTSD, right fourth finger scar, and erectile dysfunction were denied as they are not supported by evidence of a claim prior to August 22, 2021.,The effective dates for the grants of service connection for PTSD, right fourth finger scar, and erectile dysfunction have been dismissed.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 70 percent disabling, but the Board denied an increased rating. The Veteran was also granted TDIU effective November 3, 2020, for a portion of the appeal period.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent, and the Board found that his symptoms did not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 50 percent effective March 8, 2013. A 100 percent rating for PTSD is granted beginning September 6, 2014. The Veteran is also entitled to TDIU from March 8, 2013.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD, finding that new evidence received since the initial denial supports the claim and that the Veteran experienced a stressor event during active duty which is related to his current PTSD.

The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of an adequate VA medical opinion regarding the Veteran's diagnosed acquired psychiatric disabilities, including depression and PTSD.

The Board has determined that the reduction of the PTSD rating from 70% to 50% was proper, and a restoration of the 70% rating is denied. The TDIU claim for the period from April 30, 2019 to July 1, 2020 is granted. However, the TDIU claim for the period from July 1, 2020 onwards is remanded due to insufficient evidence meeting the criteria for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.

The Veteran's TDIU is granted effective May 3, 2017 due to service-connected PTSD.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for SMC based on aid and attendance due to a lack of evidence showing that his service-connected disabilities rendered him helpless enough to need regular aid and attendance.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for PTSD with MDD and mild neurocognitive disorder, residuals of a TBI, and other disabling effects of the service-connected burn scar, groin were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not show total occupational and social impairment.

The Board has found that further evidentiary development is necessary and the case is remanded to ensure compliance with its prior remand instructions.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is dismissed because the issue has been fully addressed by a prior rating decision that granted service connection for PTSD, specific phobia related to water, and enuresis nocturnal only.