PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2022

The Board has remanded the cases for further development and adjudication due to incomplete medical records and need for additional opinions regarding service connection.

The Veteran's use of a wheelchair and forearm crutches for service-connected disabilities is granted as a clothing allowance for 2018. The use of a urine bag does not meet the criteria for a clothing allowance.

The Board has granted a 70 percent rating for PTSD from November 13, 2013 to April 30, 2018 and has also granted TDIU during this period.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent effective July 31, 2015. A TDIU was granted effective March 31, 2022.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection and TDIU due to incomplete development, including a lack of review of additional evidence related to stressors. The Veteran's psychiatric conditions need to be evaluated again by VA examiners.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient examination findings regarding the Veteran's claimed psychiatric disabilities, including PTSD and depression. A new examination is needed to determine if these conditions are related to service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for TDIU and DEA, finding that an effective date prior to January 13, 2017 is not warranted due to lack of a pending formal or informal claim for TDIU in previous final decisions.

The Board has remanded the issues of service connection for PTSD and Bipolar Disorder due to new evidence received since previous decisions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim of service connection for PTSD and Bipolar disorder due to insufficient evidence in the record. The case will be reviewed again after obtaining additional medical records, including those from in-service hospitalizations.

The Veteran's PTSD and adjustment disorder are rated at a 70 percent disability rating prior to December 21, 2018. A higher rating is denied.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent for the period prior to December 3, 2018. The Board also granted entitlement to a total rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea, finding that it is proximately related to his service-connected psychiatric and traumatic brain injury disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for an addendum medical opinion regarding whether the service-connected PTSD aggravated the Veteran's erectile dysfunction.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining all outstanding VA and private treatment records and scheduling a VA psychiatric examination to determine the nature and etiology of any acquired psychiatric disorders. The claims will be readjudicated after these actions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for PTSD and Sleep Apnea with Asthma due to incomplete records and need for additional examinations.

The Veteran's PTSD symptoms have resulted in occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas, warranting a higher 70 percent disability rating for the initial rating period from December 17, 2015 to March 30, 2017.

The Board has determined that the reduction of the Veteran's TBI rating from 40 percent to noncompensable is void ab initio and must be restored. The PTSD and TBI ratings are remanded for further development.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for ischemic heart disease due to lack of a current diagnosis. The claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, hypertension, skin cancer, and an acquired psychiatric condition (including PTSD, depressive disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder) are remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is granted, with an effective date of January 31, 2005.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 70 percent, effective prior to June 15, 2021. The claim for a higher rating remains pending.