PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2022

The Board denied an initial rating higher than 70 percent for PTSD, finding that the Veteran's symptoms did not meet the criteria for a 100 percent evaluation due to total occupational and social impairment.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment prior to September 8, 2011.,The Veteran does not meet the criteria for SMC based on TDIU since he is not unemployable due to a single service-connected disability.

The Veteran's petition to reopen the claim for service connection for left (non-dominant) 5th digit impairment was denied. The Board found no new and material evidence to support reopening the claim. Service connection for PTSD, rhinitis, sinusitis, and a left lower extremity scar were remanded due to issues with rating decisions.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to December 23, 2015, for the grant of service connection for adjustment disorder was denied.,New and material evidence has been received sufficient to reopen claims for service connection for throat infection (claimed as allergies), PTSD, lumbar spine disability, frostbite residuals of the right hand, and migraine headaches.

The Veteran's PTSD warrants a 70 percent initial evaluation, but not in excess thereof. The Board found that the Veteran's symptoms most closely approximated the criteria for a 70 percent evaluation throughout the appeal period.

The Veteran's PTSD prior to April 12, 2022 was rated at 50 percent due to occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity.,From April 12, 2022, the Veteran's PTSD was rated at 70 percent due to deficiencies in most areas such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension and a psychiatric disability, including PTSD and psychotic disorder NOS. The decision found no evidence of current disabilities or valid diagnoses related to service.

The Veteran's initial claim for PTSD was denied, and the rating for unspecified depressive disorder with PTSD was initially granted at 30% prior to November 5, 2019. The appeal is now focused on whether a higher rating should be assigned from that date forward.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to new VA evidence being uploaded into his claims folder since the last adjudication.

The Veteran's claims for a higher rating for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and service connection for PTSD are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding the severity of the disease prior to death and the nature of the Veteran's claimed in-service stressors.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, meeting the criteria for a TDIU.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, is at least as likely as not related to his military service and grants service connection for this condition.

The DIC claim is denied as the Veteran was not rated totally disabled for at least 10 years prior to death. The cause of death remanded due to insufficient evidence on whether service-connected PTSD contributed to death.

The Veteran's claim for a TDIU prior to November 8, 2005 was denied as he did not meet the minimum schedular requirements for consideration of a TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date than March 19, 1999, for service connection for PTSD with depressive disorder due to a lack of evidence showing any prior claims for benefits related to these conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, vertigo associated with tinnitus, and tinnitus associated with bilateral hearing loss, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation. The Board has granted TDIU based on the combined effect of these conditions.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's alcohol use disorder and its relationship to service-connected PTSD, as well as incomplete VA treatment records. The Veteran will need to provide individual counseling records from Wheeling Vet Center and an addendum opinion.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional development, including obtaining in-service mental health records and a VA examination.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 100 percent, effective September 6, 2013. The appeal for TDIU was dismissed as moot due to the grant of a 100 percent rating.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to inadequate examination reports and unverified stressors. The Veteran is seeking service connection for PTSD, adjustment disorder, and a peripheral vestibular disorder (PVD).