PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2024

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including traumatic brain injury and PTSD, have resulted in the need for regular aid and attendance of another person. The Board finds it at least as likely as not that the Veteran is in need of such assistance due to his service-connected conditions.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right knee disability and TDIU due to service-connected disabilities, finding that his conditions are related to his military service and prevent him from obtaining and maintaining employment.

The Veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date of May 16, 2008, for the award of service connection for PTSD is dismissed as a freestanding claim. The March 2009 rating decision became final due to the expiration of the appeal period and no request for CUE has been raised.

The Veteran's initial claim for a rating of 10 percent for other specified trauma-and-stressor-related disorder (claimed as PTSD) prior to May 19, 2017 is granted.

The Veteran's PTSD with alcohol use disorder is rated at 50 percent from July 20, 2017. The Board found that the symptoms supported a 50 percent rating but not higher.

The Board has determined that the VA examinations and opinions provided prior to the October 2021 decision on appeal were inadequate, as they did not address the Veteran's credible in-service stressors or provide a clear opinion regarding the relationship between his current psychiatric conditions and service. The claim is being remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, major depressive disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder is remanded due to procedural errors and the need for a VA examination.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for service connection for PTSD and tinnitus.

The Board has decided that an effective date of March 7, 2008 for the grant of service connection for PTSD is granted. The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for PTSD and claims for TDIU and DEA benefits are remanded due to procedural errors.

The Veteran's claim for a disability rating in excess of 70 percent prior to December 22, 2020, for PTSD is denied.,Pension benefits were properly terminated effective September 1, 2015.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and a left ankle disability, have rendered him in need of regular aid and attendance due to his inability to perform daily activities independently.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's current psychiatric disabilities, including schizophrenia and PTSD, are related to his active service. The evidence is in balance with regards to establishing a nexus between the claimed conditions and service.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 70 percent, and he is granted TDIU based on his back disability. He is also granted SMC at the housebound rate.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection due to errors in obtaining relevant records and conducting necessary examinations. The Veteran is required to provide additional medical evidence, including SSA disability benefits records, and undergo VA examinations for his claimed conditions.

The Board has determined that new and relevant evidence supports the readjudication of the Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD. The Veteran's current diagnosis of PTSD is supported by medical records, and there is credible supporting evidence that the July 1972 in-service stressor occurred.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and PTSD due to potential errors in decision-making and the need for additional evidence or medical opinions.

The Veteran's appeal for PTSD was dismissed due to their death during the pendency of the appeal.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for a disability rating in excess of 70 percent for his service-connected PTSD, finding that the severity, frequency, and duration of his PTSD symptoms most closely approximated the criteria for a 70 percent disability rating.

The Board has granted a claim for an earlier effective date of August 10, 2021, for the assignment of a 70% rating for PTSD with major depressive disorder. The evidence does not support a finding that there was an ascertainable increase in severity prior to this date.

The Board has granted an earlier effective date of March 5, 2018 for a 70 percent rating for PTSD and has also granted TDIU based on the Veteran's service-connected PTSD.