PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) Board decisions

The Board has decided to remand the claim of service connection for PTSD due to deficiencies in the VA examination opinion. The Veteran's lay contentions must be considered and weighed, and an addendum from an appropriate clinician is needed to address whether his PTSD was caused or aggravated by service-connected disabilities or medication.

The Veteran's claim for a 70 percent rating for PTSD prior to September 19, 2023 is granted. The issue of TDIU due to service-connected disability is also remanded.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent, hypertension as secondary to PTSD is granted, and the Veteran is granted TDIU based on her service-connected PTSD. Osteoarthritis of the right knee is not related to service, but she is granted SMC due to her service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that there was a predecisional duty to assist error and remands the case for an addendum opinion regarding the nature and etiology of the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea, specifically addressing whether his service-connected PTSD caused or aggravated obesity, which may be an intermediate step in a secondary service-connection analysis.

The Veteran is granted SMC at the enhanced R-1 rate due to his need for regular assistance with activities of daily living and a total disability rating, including service-connected conditions such as Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and PTSD.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD with alcohol use disorder was granted, effective June 29, 2021. The rating assigned is 70 percent.

PTSD and other specified trauma- and stressor-related disorder have been granted, but the lower/mid back condition, right shoulder condition, and left shoulder condition remain denied.,The Board has remanded cases for further development regarding right shoulder condition and left shoulder condition.

The Board has dismissed the claims for service connection for obstructive sleep apnea and an evaluation in excess of 30 percent for PTSD due to the Veteran's passing before a decision could be made.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder (rated as PTSD) is rated at 70 percent effective November 2, 2021.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various arm and hand disabilities, including PTSD, have been denied as new and relevant evidence has not been received to reconsider the previous decisions.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been remanded due to insufficient evidence and need further evaluation.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a 70% rating for PTSD with major depression and alcohol use disorder prior to January 29, 2024 is denied. The issue of entitlement to TDIU since June 6, 2025, is dismissed as moot due to the Veteran's combined schedular evaluation of 100 percent.

The Board has granted an effective date of September 19, 2016 for the award of service connection for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder with Major Depressive Disorder. The appeal is remanded for further action on the TDIU claim and to determine if a rating prior to January 8, 2020 should be assigned.

The Board has granted the Veteran's appeal, finding that reducing his PTSD rating from 50% to 30% was improper and that severing service connection for vertigo and combining it with tinnitus ratings were also improper.

The Board has remanded the claims for increased ratings for PTSD and OSA, as well as the TDIU claim due to procedural errors in obtaining relevant VA treatment records and failing to schedule a VA examination.

The Board has decided to remand the claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and PTSD due to a duty-to-assist error. The Veteran's file must be reviewed, and she should be scheduled for a VA examination.

The Board has denied service connection for various conditions, including hearing loss of the left ear, sleep apnea, and respiratory insufficiency (dyspnea), among others. The Veteran's claims were not supported by sufficient evidence to establish a link between these conditions and his military service.

The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, a right shoulder disability, diabetes, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and a disability manifested by urinary frequency. The left hip disability was also denied as the rating assigned is higher than 10 percent.

The Veteran's claims for PTSD and tinnitus were granted with an effective date of November 12, 2020. The Board found that the earliest possible effective date was February 24, 2020, when the Veteran submitted a VA Form 21-0966 (Intent to File) form.

The Board has granted an increased disability rating of 50 percent for service-connected PTSD, finding that the Veteran's symptoms more closely approximate those associated with a 50 percent rating than those associated with a 30 percent rating.