PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2024

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for specially adapted housing or a special home adaptation grant due to lack of anatomical loss or use of extremities, and his conditions are not related to exposure to burn pits, Agent Orange, Camp Lejeune, radiation, Gulf War Syndrome, or other presumptive conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not render him unemployable due to their severity.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to a failure to provide a VA examination and to verify the in-service stressor. The Veteran is entitled to an examination to determine if he has PTSD and its relationship to service, as well as any other diagnosed conditions.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 100 percent disabling as of May 1, 2017, due to total occupational and social impairment.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's tinnitus, migraine headaches, and PTSD with MDD and AUD resulted in sleep disturbances which, combined with his obesity from PTSD, caused physiological changes resulting in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). As a result, service connection for OSA is granted as secondary to these conditions.

The Veteran's right radiculopathy is granted as secondary to his service-connected lumbosacral strain. The initial PTSD rating remains denied, and the cases for lumbosacral strain, GERD, type II diabetes mellitus, and thyroid disability are remanded.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment for the appeal period prior to June 30, 2015.

The Board remands the claims for service connection of peripheral neuropathy and sleep apnea, as well as a TDIU claim, to ensure compliance with the Joint Motion for Remand.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection of sleep apnea, which is secondary to tinnitus and/or PTSD, has been withdrawn. The Board dismissed the claim as the appellant requested withdrawal.

The Board has revised the July 2005 statement of the case to grant a 10% rating for PTSD beginning January 8, 2005. The November 2005 decision to sever service connection for PTSD is also reversed due to clear and unmistakable error.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of PTSD with Persistent Depressive Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder was denied. The Veteran also had a claim for a higher initial rating for his PTSD, which was denied as well.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional examinations to address the service connection for PTSD and the increased disability ratings for GSW with healed left femur fractures in muscle groups XIII and XIV, as well as the residual scars on the left leg. The issues of earlier effective date are not currently on appeal.

The Board has remanded the claim for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error. The Veteran was not afforded a VA examination in connection with his claim and there is insufficient information to make a decision on the claim.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, anxiety, and depression due to conflicting medical opinions and incomplete records. The Veteran needs a new psychiatric examination to verify his claimed stressors and obtain complete personnel and treatment records.

The Veteran's application for Legacy S-DVI was denied because it was not filed within the two-year period after he received a compensable disability rating, and there is no evidence of mental incompetence. The Veteran had hypertension rated as at least 10 percent disabling since August 2022.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed because the Notice of Disagreement (NOD) was not properly filed with the Board within one year from the date of the issuance of the rating decision. The Veteran and his representative did not provide sufficient good cause for the untimely filing.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal for a disability rating greater than 30 percent for service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder with panic attacks and alcohol use disorder and traumatic brain injury.

The Veteran's PTSD symptoms have improved to a level that warrants a 50 percent rating from March 11, 2023 to November 9, 2023. Prior to this period, the symptoms did not meet criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran's claim for service connection of PTSD was granted with an effective date of January 9, 2019.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities rendered him unable to secure and follow substantially gainful employment from August 17, 2016 to March 6, 2018.