PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2023

The Board has remanded the cases for further development, including obtaining the Veteran's complete military personnel records and providing an addendum opinion from a VA examiner regarding the nature and etiology of his claimed psychiatric conditions.

Your appeal has been dismissed because you withdrew your request for a higher rating for PTSD.

The Veteran's PTSD is granted at a 100 percent evaluation, and he is also awarded SMC based on the need for aid and attendance due to his service-connected disabilities. The issue of TDIU is dismissed as moot.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD is granted a disability rating of 100 percent, effective from August 10, 2022. Basic eligibility to Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits are also granted based on permanent and total disability status due to the Veteran's PTSD.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The issues include an acquired psychiatric disability, bilateral foot disability, and neurological disorder (claimed as a headache).

The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, OCD, right ankle pain, left ankle pain, right foot plantar fasciitis, and left foot plantar fasciitis were denied. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depression are currently rated as 0%.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD with other specified bipolar disorder, alcohol use disorder, and other specified personality disorder with mixed personality features due to insufficient evidence linking his current symptoms to an in-service stressor.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher initial rating for his PTSD is remanded due to the lack of an examination and incomplete medical records.

The Veteran's eligibility for PCAFC benefits is remanded due to unclear notice and need for clarification of the denial reasons. The VA must provide proper notice, clarify the reasoning of the denial, and provide legally adequate reasons and bases for the denial.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the award of a total disability rating for compensation based on individual unemployability (TDIU) as it was not continuously pursued and did not meet the specificity requirement for a valid clear and unmistakable error motion.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding his claimed stressors and erectile dysfunction. The VA will attempt to verify the reported in-service stressor incidents, including terrorist attacks in Frankfurt and Heidelberg, Germany.

The Veteran meets the schedular criteria for TDIU due to his service-connected PTSD, which renders him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been granted on a secondary basis due to his service-connected back disability. The Board finds that the evidence supports the conclusion that the Veteran's hypertension is caused by his service-connected back disability.

A rating of 70 percent for PTSD throughout the appeal period is granted, subject to regulations governing the payment of monetary awards. The issue of entitlement to Total Disability Rating due to Individual Unemployability (TDIU) has been raised and included as a separate issue.

Your claim for service connection for PTSD was denied in July 2018, and you did not appeal within one year. The VA subsequently granted your claim in April 2020, effective from April 11, 2018. As a result, the current appeal is dismissed.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of PTSD with TBI residuals is granted, and he receives a 50% disability rating.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for inability to lose weight and obesity is denied. The Veteran's PTSD is granted an increased rating of 70 percent, but no higher. The Veteran's scars are rated at 10 percent. The Veteran's claims for dizziness, major depression, nausea, obstructive sleep apnea, and vomiting are remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are as likely as not of such nature and severity as to prevent him from securing or following substantially gainful employment since June 5, 2013.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him in need of regular aid and attendance, as the requirement for such is attributed to non-service-connected back pain. As a result, special monthly compensation based on aid and attendance is denied.

The Veteran withdrew her appeal regarding PTSD, so the case is dismissed.