PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2024

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for PTSD and is now remanding it to allow for a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any diagnosed psychiatric disorders, including whether they are related to service or service-connected conditions.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the etiology of the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, specifically PTSD and Major Depressive Disorder. The issues of service connection for these conditions are now pending.

The Board has remanded the cases of an increased rating for PTSD and major depressive disorder, as well as a TDIU claim due to issues with the record and need for further evaluation.

The Board denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date of March 24, 2017 for his TDIU award due to PTSD. The claim was considered part and parcel of his original PTSD compensation claim filed on March 24, 2017.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional medical records and clarification on his claims of PTSD service connection and increased evaluation for headaches.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining treatment records from Binghamton Vet Center and scheduling a new VA examination to assess the severity of the Veteran's PTSD. The issues of entitlement to an increased rating for PTSD and TDIU prior to June 12, 2019 are also being remanded.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for shin splints, tendinitis of the left ankle, residuals of a head injury, headaches, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD, depression, and anxiety) due to incomplete service treatment records from his second period of active duty. The VA must obtain these records and provide the Veteran with appropriate examinations.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and PTSD, as well as his request for an earlier effective date for a hyperthyroidism rating. The appeal was dismissed.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 30 percent, effective March 12, 2020. The Board finds that a higher rating for PTSD is not warranted based on the evidence of record.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities because the evidence did not demonstrate that his service-connected conditions rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The claim for service connection for PTSD and related psychiatric disorder is being remanded due to the need for a new medical opinion regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's acquired psychiatric condition, including PTSD. The issue remains pending.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings and service connection claims have been remanded due to the need for additional examinations and evaluations.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate March 2018 examination, which did not address whether the Veteran's sleep apnea was aggravated by service-connected PTSD. The Veteran must be provided with a new VA examination and secondary service connection opinion.

The Board has remanded several issues for further development and examination, including service connection claims for various psychiatric conditions, bilateral hip disability, joint pain, basal cell cancer residuals, and obstructive sleep apnea. The Veteran's service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations is recognized.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude her from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation, as she has maintained employment throughout the appeal period.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, major depressive disorder, and back conditions, precluded him from securing or following substantially gainful employment prior to July 9, 2018.

The Veteran's PTSD resulted in occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas, such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, and mood. The Board granted a 70 percent rating for PTSD from November 14, 2014 through July 30, 2023.

The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals for service connection for anxiety, a rating in excess of 70 percent prior to June 13, 2019, for PTSD with major depressive disorder, and a rating in excess of 10 percent for nasal fracture without deviation, s/p open septorhinoplasty associated with patellofemoral pain syndrome left knee.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for mesothelioma/respiratory condition, myopia (claimed as visual disorder), hearing loss, and an acquired psychiatric disability other than PTSD. The claims were previously denied in February 2013 and March 2016 due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board has granted a 70 percent disability rating for PTSD prior to January 5, 2015. The decision is based on the Veteran's symptoms of suicidal ideation and difficulty in establishing effective relationships.