PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2022

The Board has determined that a VA medical opinion is needed to determine the cause of the Veteran's death, which may involve his service-connected conditions. The Appellant believes he died from a heart attack due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has decided that a remand is necessary due to the inadequacy of the May 2015 VA examination and the need for further evidence regarding the Veteran's claimed PTSD.

The Veteran's appeals for increased disability ratings and effective dates have been dismissed as he has withdrawn his appeal.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection and earlier effective date claims have been dismissed due to his withdrawal of the appeals before the Board could make a decision.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for PTSD, hypertension, and an irregular heartbeat due to new and material evidence. The claims are REMANDED for further development including verifying the in-service stressor and obtaining medical opinions regarding the relationship between her conditions and service connection.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent, which reflects significant occupational and social impairment. The claim for a higher rating is denied.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss has been rated as noncompensable, and his TDIU claim prior to May 16, 2019, was denied due to the presence of other service-connected disabilities that allowed him to maintain substantially gainful employment.

The Board has dismissed all issues of service connection and rating as the Veteran died during the appeal process.

The Veteran's PTSD symptoms have resulted in occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas, warranting a 70% disability rating for the period from October 17, 2018 through October 29, 2020. The Veteran was also granted TDIU effective January 1, 2020.

The Veteran's PTSD with depressive disorder, not otherwise specified, is rated at 70 percent. Increased ratings for diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the right upper extremity and left upper extremity are denied. Increased ratings for diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the right lower extremity (sciatic nerve) and left lower extremity (sciatic nerve) are granted.

The Veteran's PTSD has resulted in occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas, including work, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood. The Board granted a disability rating of 70 percent for PTSD.

The Veteran's appeal includes multiple issues related to service-connected conditions, including PTSD with TBI residuals, heart disability, wrist and ankle disabilities, cervical spine spondylosis, thoracolumbar spine degenerative disc disease, and radiculopathy. The Board has found these issues remanded for further development.,The Veteran's PTSD with TBI residuals is currently rated as 50 percent disabling.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including vertigo, dizziness, back pain, hearing loss, PTSD, and MDD, prevent him from securing and following substantially gainful employment. The Board finds that the Veteran is unemployable due to his disabilities.

The Board denied an effective date prior to February 12, 2016, for the award of service connection for PTSD as the Veteran did not file a formal or informal claim for this condition before that date.

The Veteran was granted special monthly compensation (SMC) at the housebound rate and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) from February 2, 2007 to August 9, 2007 due to his service-connected seizure disorder. The combined rating of his disabilities met the criteria for TDIU.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent disabling, which satisfies the requirement for a single disability rated as 100 percent. However, his other service-connected disabilities do not independently rate at 60 percent or more, thus denying entitlement to SMC based on housebound status.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD and an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, finding no current disability due to the Veteran's reported military sexual trauma (MST) or service-related stressors.

The Veteran's claims for increased PTSD rating, TDIU, and service connection for respiratory disability and celiac disease are being remanded due to the need for additional evidence.

The Veteran's PTSD symptoms do not more closely approximate total occupational and social impairment, so the claim for a disability rating in excess of 70 percent is denied.