PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2023

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD, with insomnia and TBI caused his hypertension. The effective date for the grant of service connection for migraine headaches is set at August 29, 2014.

The Board has granted entitlement to SMC based on the need for aid and attendance due to service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, PDD, TB residuals, degenerative arthritis, spinal stenosis, and IVDS of the cervical spine.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings are being remanded due to the need for additional medical examinations and opinions regarding his tinnitus, right eye disabilities, PTSD, migraine headaches, and TDIU.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence to verify in-service stressors for PTSD. The Veteran's service treatment records do not provide corroboration of his reported fall from a ladder, and further efforts are needed to locate any potential back injury episodes.

The Veteran's appeal for increased disability ratings for PTSD prior to December 3, 2017 and from December 3, 2017 to February 9, 2018 was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not show occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity warranting a higher rating.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD prevents him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board has granted entitlement to TDIU on a schedular basis.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and MDD, was denied as the most persuasive evidence demonstrated that his current diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder did not have its onset during active duty service or was otherwise etiologically related to service. The claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, left knee disability, and right knee disability are remanded due to a lack of VA examination records.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and lumbar spine disability, rendered him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation prior to June 26, 2018. The Board granted TDIU for this period.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 30 percent, effective May 2, 2018. The Board has decided to grant a 50 percent rating for the condition but remanded for further development regarding entitlement to a higher rating.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a left great toe disorder has been granted.,The Board found new and material evidence to reopen the Veteran's claim of service connection for psychiatric disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, and PTSD. The case is remanded for further examination and opinion.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 50 percent prior to May 9, 2022. The Board denied an increased rating and also denied referral for extraschedular TDIU consideration.

The reduction in the disability evaluation for PTSD from 70 percent to 50 percent, effective January 1, 2019, was improper and is void ab initio.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD and other acquired psychiatric disorders. The case is remanded to attempt verification of the Veteran's claimed stressors, obtain a new VA examination, and determine if any diagnosed conditions are related to service.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD was denied. The Board found that the severity, frequency, and duration of the Veteran's PTSD symptoms did not more closely approximate occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for the RO to issue an SOC addressing his claims of entitlement to increased disability ratings and the propriety of a rating reduction. The appeals remain in the Legacy appeals system.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depressive disorder, and unspecified anxiety disorder. The decision is based on credible supporting evidence of in-service personal assaults that led to PTSD.

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

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn and is dismissed due to his satisfaction with a separate decision that granted him a 100 percent rating for PTSD and total disability rating for compensation based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for PTSD is remanded due to the need for updated VA treatment records and a new examination. The current evidence does not support an increased rating.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have not prevented him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation, and therefore his TDIU claim is denied.