PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) Board decisions

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him so helpless as to require regular aid and attendance of another person, warranting special monthly compensation (SMC) based on the need for aid and attendance.

The Veteran's PTSD and depressive disorder are rated at a 30 percent disability rating from May 19, 2014, to November 20, 2018. The decision does not specify an effective date for the granted rating.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, diabetes, tinnitus, hypertension, bilateral hearing loss, and diabetic peripheral neuropathy, have precluded him from obtaining or maintaining gainful employment. The Board has granted a TDIU based on the combined rating of these conditions.

The Veteran's service connection claim for bilateral hearing loss was denied. The Board found no current diagnosis of hearing loss and the evidence did not support a finding that his hearing loss began during or is related to service.,Service connection for allergic rhinitis and sinusitis was granted based on presumed exposure to burn pits in Southwest Asia, as part of the PACT Act.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at a 70 percent disability rating, effective July 29, 2018. Service connection for left shoulder condition and low back condition are granted.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD, Adjustment Disorder with Anxiety, and Major Depression as the evidence did not support a causal relationship between these conditions and service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, chloracne, carpal tunnel syndromes, peripheral neuropathies, right wrist fracture, tinnitus, and coronary artery disease, have rendered him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment prior to June 19, 2023. Effective from June 19, 2023, the Veteran is in receipt of a combined schedular rating of 100 percent for his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his acquired psychiatric disorder is being remanded.,An effective date prior to September 27, 2021, for the assignment of a 50 percent rating for an acquired psychiatric disorder is denied.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to January 7, 2020, for the grant of service connection for PTSD was denied.,Service connection for Hepatitis C was also denied.

The Veteran's claim for SMC at the (k) rate due to loss of use of hands and feet was denied as he does not have loss of use of a hand or foot such that he has no effective function remaining other than what would be equally well served by an amputation stump with prosthesis.

The Veteran's PTSD and MDD are currently rated at 50 percent, but the Board found that they do not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher rating.,The Veteran's hypothyroidism is currently rated as noncompensable. The Board noted that without myxedema, a compensable rating requires six months of residual effects after initial diagnosis.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of January 17, 2020 for a 100 percent disability rating for PTSD with insomnia disorder, major depressive disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder is granted. The increase in the Veteran's disability occurred within one year prior to his April 21, 2020 claim, making January 17, 2020 the earliest possible effective date.

The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA examination, and the Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD, anxiety, and major depression is now pending.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is granted as he has a current diagnosis of PTSD that is etiologically related to in-service trauma.

The Veteran's PTSD and tobacco use disorder are currently rated at 70 percent, but the Board denied an increased rating as his symptoms do not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board has reinstated the Veteran's PTSD rating from 10% to 70%, finding that the reduction was improper due to a lack of evidence showing actual improvement in the Veteran's ability to function under ordinary conditions.

The Veteran's TDIU was granted effective November 17, 2017, the date of his increased PTSD rating. The Board found that this aligns with the effective date for the underlying disability.

The Board has decided that there are other acquired psychiatric disorders besides PTSD, and a new examination is needed to determine the etiology of these conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD, finding that the Veteran's reported stressor (learning of his brother's injury while in Vietnam) is credible and sufficient to support a diagnosis of PTSD. The Veteran's symptoms are linked to this in-service event.

The Veteran's right knee instability is granted a separate 20 percent disability rating, while the claim for an increased PTSD rating remains denied.