PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2024

The Veteran's appeal for a higher disability rating for PTSD has been dismissed due to the withdrawal of the appeal by the Veteran's attorney.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection of PTSD, dysthymic disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder as there is no credible evidence supporting the claimed in-service stressor.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions, including PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and left knee scar disabilities, have resulted in his inability to obtain or maintain a substantially gainful employment. The Board has granted the TDIU claim based on the combined effects of these conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors, specifically regarding examinations for his PTSD, neck disorder, depression and anxiety, and bilateral plantar fasciitis.

The Veteran is granted a 70 percent disability rating for PTSD for the entire period on appeal prior to February 19, 2019. For the period from February 19, 2019 onwards, his PTSD symptoms do not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran's appeal of service connection for PTSD has been dismissed as he requested a withdrawal of the appeal.

The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for a skin disability, arterial thrombosis of the left upper extremity, and PTSD due to complex factual and procedural background.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not cause the need for regular aid and attendance (A&A). The Board finds that SMC is not warranted.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 70 percent, but the Board finds no evidence of total occupational and social impairment.,The Veteran's prostate cancer residuals are currently rated at 40 percent. The Board finds that his symptoms do not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board has denied a rating in excess of 30 percent for PTSD prior to September 12, 2023. The case is REMANDED due to the need for further development regarding service connection for right and left knee disorders.

The Veteran's TDIU rating was granted from May 23, 2012. The Board denied an earlier effective date for the TDIU.,The Veteran's eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) under Chapter 35 was also granted from May 23, 2012.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 30 percent since September 29, 2021. The Board granted an increased rating to 70 percent but no higher for the review period (from September 29, 2021, through April 2, 2022).

The Veteran's PTSD was rated at 70 percent, and the Board found that it did not meet the criteria for a higher rating. The appeal for SMC aid and attendance was also denied due to lack of evidence showing need for regular aid and attendance.

The Board denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date for her service-connected PTSD, stating that there was no prior claim of service connection for PTSD pending in her file and thus no basis to award a prior effective date.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his acquired psychiatric disability was denied. An earlier effective date of October 14, 2020, was granted for the award of TDIU and DEA benefits.

The Veteran's overpayment of VA compensation benefits is waived due to his cognitive impairment resulting from posttraumatic stress disorder, which mitigates his fault in creating the debt.

The Board granted the attorney's request for fees based on past-due benefits awarded in March 2023, which established a TDIU rating for the Veteran's service-connected PTSD.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for PTSD service connection is denied as the evidence does not support that VA prohibited him from filing a claim prior to July 30, 1996.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date of January 19, 2023, for the assignment of a 30 percent disability rating for his service-connected PTSD and unspecified sleep wake disorder is granted.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to a lack of adequate VA examination reports, particularly regarding hearing loss and tinnitus.