PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2023

The Board has decided that the issues of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, a back disorder, and a cerebral vascular accident are remanded due to additional development being necessary.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to inconsistencies in medical opinions and examinations related to his service-connected PTSD, TBI, lumbar strain, and right lower extremity radiculopathy.

The Board has granted service connection for migraine headaches and denied service connection for PTSD. Migraine headaches are found to have started during the Veteran's first period of active duty and continue since then. Service connection for PTSD is denied as there is no current diagnosis.

The Veteran's PTSD was granted a 70% evaluation prior to July 8, 2010. The claim for increased evaluation of PTSD and bilateral plantar fasciitis is denied.

The Veteran's PTSD prior to December 21, 2020 was rated at 50 percent due to symptoms such as flattened affect, panic attacks more than once a week, disturbances of motivation and mood, mild memory loss (such as forgetting names), and difficulty establishing and maintaining relationships.,From December 21, 2020, the Veteran's PTSD was rated at 70 percent due to persistent suicidal ideation, near-continuous panic or depression affecting his ability to function independently, appropriate and effectively, and inability to establish and maintain effective work and social relationships.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for PTSD prior to September 8, 2021 was denied. The Board also remanded the issue of service connection for a low back condition due to its secondary nature.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development, including obtaining a VA medical opinion regarding the etiology of the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders and sleep apnea. The claims are inextricably intertwined with hypertension.

The Board has remanded the case due to unclear evidence regarding the Veteran's service connection for PTSD and other acquired psychiatric disorders. A new VA examination is needed to determine if there is a link between the Veteran's current mental health conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for breathing problems, lumbago with protruding disc, lower back nerve damage, sleep apnea, and bilateral flat feet have been dismissed. The Veteran's PTSD with other specified depressive disorder has been granted a 70 percent rating prior to December 13, 2019, but denied any higher rating thereafter.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease with esophagitis and dermatitis of the scalp, claimed as a head fungus, are granted. The issues of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD) and bilateral shin splints remain pending.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete evidence and need for further examination. The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is pending.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 70 percent, and the Board has remanded both his claim for a higher rating and his TDIU claim due to missing VA treatment records and the need for a new examination.

The Veteran's PTSD is granted as service-connected, with the condition being related to military sexual trauma (MST) during her active duty.,Atrial fibrillation is also granted as service-connected, with the condition beginning during her period of active-duty service.

For the period from October 31, 2009 until January 5, 2010, the Veteran was employed full-time and her service-connected disabilities did not prevent her from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.,For the period from January 5, 2010 to April 4, 2011, the Veteran's PTSD prevented her from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's petition to reopen the claims for service connection for PTSD and sleep apnea was granted, but his claim for COPD remains pending.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD) is denied.

The Board has remanded the case for a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, GAD, MDD, schizoaffective disorder, and unspecified schizophrenia and other psychotic disorder. The examiner is asked to identify any current psychiatric disorders found on examination or that have existed since May 2017, as well as whether each current disorder originated during service or is otherwise etiologically related to service.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD, as it was aggravated by military sexual trauma during service. The Board also found that the service-connected PTSD aggravates other acquired psychiatric disabilities such as bipolar disorder and OCD.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of PTSD, finding that he does not have a current diagnosis of PTSD and has not had one at any time during the pendency of the claim or recent to the filing of the claim.

The Veteran's PTSD did not result in total occupational and social impairment, so the claim for a higher rating was denied.

The Veteran's appeals for effective dates prior to August 4, 2014 for service connection of diabetes mellitus and erectile dysfunction have been dismissed.,An effective date prior to August 4, 2014 for the award of a 20 percent rating for prostatitis is denied.,A rating in excess of 20 percent for prostatitis has not been granted.,The Veteran's appeals for service connection for PTSD and an acquired psychiatric disorder have been remanded.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and a TDIU have also been remanded.