PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2023

The Board has granted service connection for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) based on a verified in-service stressor and the Veteran's current diagnosis of PTSD.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD based on qualifying service, finding that his National Guard duty during the Los Angeles Watts riots did not qualify as Federal service and therefore was not considered active service for VA benefits.

The Board has decided that a temporary total rating for convalescence following right knee arthroscopy with chondroplasty is granted. The claim for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disorder is remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 100% effective July 18, 2019. He also received SMC under 38 U.S.C. § 1114(s) and TDIU prior to July 18, 2019.

The Board has found that there has not been substantial compliance with its July 2020 remand directives, necessitating another remand for further development of the TDIU claim.

The Veteran's claim for increased ratings for his PTSD is being remanded due to the need for a new examination and review of medical records.

The Veteran's PTSD was granted a disability rating of 50 percent from November 9, 2013, to January 15, 2020. A higher rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD from January 16, 2020, forward is denied.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 70 percent since July 13, 2017. The Board finds that the evidence does not show total occupational and social impairment due to PTSD.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his PTSD with nervous disorder and dysthymic disorder is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to assess the current level of severity of his psychiatric disability.

The Veteran's appeal was denied as he did not cooperate with the VA examinations and failed to provide medical records, resulting in a lack of sufficient evidence to decide his claims.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient verification of in-service stressors and a need for further examination regarding the Veteran's psychiatric disability.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not meet the schedular criteria for TDIU, but his unemployability due to PTSD warrants extraschedular consideration.

The Veteran's PTSD symptoms from August 10, 2012 to October 23, 2015, most closely approximated occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability. The Board granted a 50 percent disability rating for this period.

The Veteran's PTSD alone has rendered him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation, qualifying for a TDIU rating. The Veteran also meets the criteria for special monthly compensation (SMC) due to his skin disability rated at 60 percent.

The Veteran's Unspecified Anxiety Disorder is granted service connection, while the issues of PTSD, sleep apnea (secondary to PTSD), left hip disorder, right hip disorder, and urinary disorder are remanded for further development.

The Board has expanded the appeal to include all acquired psychiatric disorders and has issued a remand for the issuance of an SOC. The Veteran's attempt to opt-in to the modernized appellate system is invalid, as it applies to a pre-implementation legacy rating decision.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including major depressive disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder, finding that the Veteran's symptoms began during or are related to his active service. The issue of entitlement to a total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU) is remanded due to lack of current service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the Veteran's psychiatric disorder and its relationship to service or service-connected nephrolithiasis. Additional evidence is needed, including treatment records from Vet Center, chaplain, private psychiatrist, and Dr. R.F.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder to include depression and a migraine headache disability, as well as her right and left ankle disabilities and stomach disability. The claims are now remanded for further development including VA examinations.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent, which does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.,The Veteran was denied TDIU as her service-connected disabilities alone do not render her unable to obtain or maintain substantially gainful employment.