PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2024

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for PTSD and TDIU are being remanded due to insufficient efforts in obtaining private psychiatric treatment records. The RO is instructed to request these records from the Veteran.

The Board has denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss due to the lack of evidence meeting VA's definition of a hearing loss disability. The appeal is remanded for further consideration of service connection for PTSD.

The Veteran's claim for tinnitus was denied as there is no evidence of a formal or informal claim before May 5, 2017.,Service connection for PTSD and other psychiatric disorders was denied due to lack of verification of in-service stressor.

The Board remands the claim for service connection for PTSD due to a claims processing error that should be waived.

The Veteran's PTSD, right knee arthritis, left knee arthritis, right hand arthritis, and left hand arthritis are all granted as service-connected.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's PTSD and alcohol use disorder are related to his military service, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and hypertension are remanded due to incomplete records from his National Guard service. The Board requests additional information on the type of service he had during these periods.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for bilateral plantar fasciitis and PTSD with unspecified depressive disorder are being remanded due to errors in the AOJ's duty to assist.

The Veteran's claim for a 50 percent evaluation for PTSD is granted, effective November 15, 2005. The claim for TDIU is also granted.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD and right ear hearing loss as there is no current diagnosis of these conditions, and the Veteran's claims are based on direct service connection rather than a presumption or secondary to another condition.

The Veteran's PTSD is related to in-service stressors involving actual serious injury and death of others due to hostile military activity in Iraq. Service connection for PTSD is granted, while the claims for tinnitus and major depressive disorder are remanded.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for schizoaffective disorder and service connection for PTSD are being remanded due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors. The TDIU claim is also being remanded as it is inextricably intertwined with the other claims.

The Veteran's claims for an effective date prior to March 4, 2018, for the award of service connection for PTSD and initial evaluations in excess of 50 percent prior to March 5, 2021, and in excess of 70 percent from March 5, 2021, for PTSD are remanded due to a duty-to-assist error. The Veteran's request for an earlier effective date was not addressed by the AOJ.

The Board has decided to remand the claim of service connection for PTSD due to an inservice incident, but it cannot proceed without verifying the claimed stressor. The AOJ is instructed to verify the incident and then readjudicate the case.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for PTSD and anxiety, thus the issue is dismissed.

The Board dismissed all claims for service connection, including those for PTSD, head injury, left hand strain, left knee strain, lumbosacral strain, left thumb fracture, bilateral pes planus, plantar fasciitis, right hand strain, and right knee strain. The claim for bilateral hearing loss was denied.

The Board granted an earlier effective date of May 8, 2018, for a total 100 percent evaluation of PTSD with MDD with mood congruent psychotic features and related benefits.

The claims for a change in the character of discharge and compensation for lumbosacral strain and PTSD are remanded due to an error in notifying the appellant about the necessary steps.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, bilateral pes planus with left foot degenerative arthritis, and left ear hearing loss and tinnitus, prevent him from securing or maintaining substantially gainful employment. The Board has granted a TDIU based on these conditions.

The Board granted a 70 percent rating for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from July 22, 2020.