PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2024

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including patellofemoral pain syndrome, posttraumatic stress disorder, tinnitus, Bell's palsy residuals, abdominal pain and diarrhea, right ankle disability, bilateral hearing loss, folliculitis, temporomandibular joint disease, hyposmia associated with Bell's palsy residuals, loss of taste associated with Bell's palsy residuals, and scar, right lower extremity, have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment throughout the appeal period. As such, he is entitled to a TDIU.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent, but the Board finds that his symptoms do not more closely approximate a higher disability rating.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent from July 6, 2006 to October 31, 2012.

The Veteran's claim for reimbursement of Beneficiary Travel mileage expenses to a Kansas City VAMC on December 11, 2023, is granted due to the travel being related to his service-connected disabilities and he was timely in filing his claim.

The Veteran's PTSD with alcohol use disorder is rated at 70 percent effective July 24, 2023. The rating will remain at 100 percent from June 5, 2024.

The Veteran's appeal for an effective date prior to May 11, 2021, for the grant of service connection for PTSD has been dismissed due to the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and panic disorder with agoraphobia are denied as there is no current diagnosis of PTSD, the evidence does not support a secondary service connection claim due to lack of service-connected disability causation or aggravation, and the Board finds the May 2020 VA examination report highly probative in denying the direct service connection claim.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD, finding that the Veteran's current symptoms are related to an in-service stressor of sexual assault.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for PTSD was denied because the appellant did not file a notice of disagreement with the February 2017 rating decision, and thus is not eligible to receive fees based on past-due benefits awarded in December 2019.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, finding that his current conditions are related to his military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for PTSD, bilateral plantar fasciitis, CFS, and lumbar spine DDD due to a duty to assist error regarding an emergency room visit in September 2020. The TDIU claim is also being remanded.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date prior to November 27, 2020, for the assignment of a 70 percent disability rating for PTSD as there was no ascertainable increase in severity within one year prior to receipt of his February 2021 supplemental claim.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder is granted due to the submission of new and relevant evidence, which includes a diagnosis of PTSD related to military sexual trauma. The Board finds that the Veteran has met all three criteria for service connection: a diagnosed condition, a link between current symptoms and an in-service stressor (military sexual trauma), and credible supporting evidence of the in-service stressor.

The Board has remanded the case due to pre-decisional failure of the duty to assist based on an inadequate examination. The Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disorder, including PTSD or depressive disorder or mood disorder with depressive features, is now pending and will be reconsidered.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and a need for a medical opinion regarding the Appellant's mental state at the time of his misconduct. The character of service discharge is not addressed in this decision.

The Board dismissed the appeal of a proposed reduction in the disability rating for PTSD from 70 percent to 0 percent, as the July 2021 decision was not final and the Veteran did not file an NOD within one year.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not result in the physical loss or permanent loss of use of one or both hands or feet, nor does it meet any other criteria for financial assistance in the purchase of an automobile or adaptive equipment. The Board denied the claim as there is no evidence of permanent loss of use of a hand or foot due to service-connected disability.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD with alcohol use disorder and major depressive disorder to include TBI residuals is granted a 70 percent disability rating, but not higher, effective from July 2, 2019.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to conflicting evidence on the presence of a PTSD diagnosis and insufficient etiology opinions. The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is being returned to obtain an addendum opinion from a VA examiner.

The Board has remanded the cases for further development, including obtaining SSA records related to the Veteran's social security disability application.