PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2023

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and other conditions, is remanded due to the need for a VA examination and medical opinion regarding his claimed stressors and diagnoses.

The Board denied service connection for OSA, finding that the evidence does not support a link between PTSD and OSA.

The Board has remanded the case due to a failure to schedule a VA examination for an incarcerated veteran. The Veteran's claim of service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, is now pending and will be reviewed with a new VA opinion.

The appeal for an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD is dismissed.,The appeal for an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for scars, status post prostatectomy and lymph node dissection is dismissed.,The appeal for service connection for heart disease is dismissed.,The appeal for service connection for lipoma is dismissed.,Tinnitus has been granted as service connected.,Hypertension has been granted as service connected due to the PACT Act.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for PTSD service connection is denied. The case is remanded to consider additional VA evidence related to the increased rating of PTSD.

Service connection for PTSD is granted. Service connection for other conditions, including sleep disorder, allergic rhinitis, sinusitis, migraine headaches, gastrointestinal disorder, and left wrist disability are denied.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to inadequate medical examination and the need for further development regarding the relationship between sleep apnea and service-connected PTSD.

The Board has determined that additional evidence is needed to determine if the Veteran's death was caused by a service-connected disability, and whether any service-connected psychiatric disorder contributed to his substance abuse disorder or contributed to his death.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and anxiety disorder, is granted as service-connected due to direct evidence linking his current conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date for PTSD with GAD is denied. The issues of entitlement to a higher initial rating for PTSD and TDIU are remanded due to the need for additional evidence.

The Veteran's service-connected left heel disability and scar are rated at 30 percent, while PTSD and OSA are granted with a 10 percent rating. The appeal is granted for all issues.

The Board has determined that the VA examination did not adequately address whether the Veteran's OSA is secondary to his service-connected PTSD, and thus remanded for further evaluation.

The Veteran's PTSD, lumbar spondylosis, patellofemoral pain syndrome right knee, left shoulder pain, and right hand fracture reconstruction are all being remanded for further evaluation due to the need for new examinations.

The Veteran's PTSD symptoms have caused occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas, such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking or mood. The Board has granted a 70 percent evaluation for the entire period on appeal.

The Veteran's TBI has been rated at 40 percent, and the Board found that a higher rating is not warranted based on his symptoms. The PTSD was considered to be the primary contributor to his disability picture.

The Veteran's appeal is granted for TDIU, but the initial rating for PTSD remains remanded due to incomplete development of records.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's PTSD is related to his military service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation (SMC) based on housebound criteria was denied in a September 2014 rating decision. The effective date of SMC was assigned as November 12, 2018, the date his formal claim was received by VA.

The Board denied the Veteran's request for payment or reimbursement of beneficiary travel expenses as the ambulance transport was not medically necessary and the Veteran could have transferred himself to the VA hospital if he deemed further treatment necessary.

The Veteran's claims for an effective date prior to July 13, 2011, and a higher disability rating for PTSD are both remanded due to the need for additional evidence.