PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2023

The Veteran's TDIU was granted effective January 18, 2013, based on his service-connected disabilities. The effective date is the earliest date that the claim for a TDIU arose, which was less than one year prior to receipt of the February 2013 application.

The Board has remanded the case due to deficiencies in the pre-decisional duty to assist, specifically regarding the need for a VA examination to assess the nature and etiology of the Veteran's psychiatric disorder(s), particularly if diagnosed as PTSD. The examiner is asked to consider the Veteran's statements about personal assault during service and the corroborating evidence from his service records.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 50 percent, effective March 17, 2017. The Board denied a higher rating and also denied the claim for TDIU prior to July 25, 2022.

The Board has found that new and relevant evidence has been received to warrant readjudication of the claims for entitlement to service connection for a disability manifested by damage to the Veteran's chest, an anxiety disorder, a panic disorder, and PTSD. The VA will now attempt to obtain inpatient treatment records from Wiesbaden, Germany, and Ft. Stewart, Georgia, as well as provide appropriate VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of these claims.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is denied due to lack of a current diagnosis under DSM-5 criteria.,The Veteran's claims for tinnitus and bilateral hearing loss disability are remanded as new evidence has been submitted.

The appeal for service connection of posttraumatic stress disorder was dismissed due to the appellant's death.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bipolar disorder has been granted. The claim for PTSD remains pending and will be remanded for further examination.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, is being readjudicated due to the submission of new and relevant evidence. The issue remains pending as it has not been determined whether the inservice concussion was due to willful misconduct.

The Veteran's PTSD was found to be at least as likely as not caused by his in-service trauma, leading to a grant of service connection on a direct basis.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, is being readjudicated due to the submission of new and relevant evidence. The issue remains pending as it has not been determined whether the inservice concussion was due to willful misconduct.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, posttraumatic stress disorder, and sleep apnea due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the etiology of these conditions.

The Veteran's appeal for a rating higher than 70 percent for PTSD was dismissed as the issue had already been adjudicated in a previous Board decision.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, is being remanded due to a duty-to-assist error. The VA examiner will need to reconcile the December 2019 finding that the Veteran does not have a current psychiatric disorder with other evidence showing depression and a positive PTSD screening.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD, right long finger impairment, and hearing loss have rendered him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's PTSD was previously granted a 100 percent rating, which constitutes a full grant of the benefits sought. Therefore, the issue is dismissed as moot.

The Veteran's appeal for a rating in excess of 30 percent prior to October 30, 2020, for PTSD due to military sexual trauma with somatic symptom disorder and alcohol use disorder has been dismissed as the Veteran withdrew her appeal.

The Veteran's claim for PTSD was denied as there is no evidence of a diagnosis conforming to VA regulations.,Service connection for Persistent Depressive Disorder was granted based on the competent and probative evidence showing it is related to service.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD in a May 20, 1996 rating decision due to the Veteran's failure to provide requested information about his stressors. The claim was subsequently abandoned.

The Veteran's initial claim for an increased rating for PTSD prior to February 24, 2020 was denied as the symptoms did not more closely approximate a higher disability rating.,The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for PTSD beginning February 24, 2020 was also denied as there is no evidence of record that addresses this period.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment.