PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) Board decisions

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including sleep apnea, PTSD with depressive disorder, left ankle degenerative changes, right knee degenerative arthritis, right knee laxity, and tinea and lymphocytic leukemia, have rendered him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD is granted a 70 percent disability rating from December 4, 2013, to March 8, 2016. The appeal for a higher rating and TDIU remains pending.

The Veteran's TBI and PTSD with dysthymic disorder are rated at a 10 percent disability level, effective September 3, 2010.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals regarding an initial rating higher than 50 percent for PTSD and the effective date earlier than December 3, 2013, for the grant of service connection for PTSD. As a result, these issues are dismissed.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection and increased evaluation of posttraumatic stress disorder, as well as the claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability. The Veteran's mental health conditions are unclear, and further examination is needed to differentiate between his PTSD and other diagnosed disorders.

The Veteran's claims for an increased rating for PTSD and TDIU have been remanded due to the need for additional evidence and a new examination.

The Veteran's PTSD did not meet the criteria for a higher disability rating of 70 percent prior to July 22, 2016. The Board found that his symptoms were more closely approximated by a 50 percent disability evaluation.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including adjustment disorder with depressed mood and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), lumbar muscular strain with degenerative disc disease, rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment as of June 10, 2010. The Board granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) on an extraschedular basis starting from that date.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a back disability, bilateral hip disability, bilateral knee disability, and an acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD, mood disorder, anxiety and depression) as there is no evidence that these conditions began during active service or are otherwise related to in-service injuries or diseases.

The Veteran's service-connected TBI residuals, PTSD, and chronic headaches render him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment. His combined rating of 80% from December 2015 meets the threshold for a schedular TDIU.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection of his acquired psychiatric disorders, finding that there was no evidence to support a causal relationship between his current conditions and his military service or any service-connected disability.

The Veteran's appeal for increased ratings and service connection for PTSD, low back disability, and right knee disability is denied. The Board finds that further development is necessary before the remaining issues can be properly adjudicated.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for acquired psychiatric disability and bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome due to deficiencies in obtaining requested records, including Morning Reports from Fort Ord during the Veteran's active duty.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities are of such severity that they preclude substantially gainful employment, and the Board has granted a TDIU effective October 2, 2006.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD. Additional efforts are needed to verify the Veteran’s stressors and obtain VA treatment records.

The Veteran's tinnitus is granted as service connected. The issues of PTSD, left and right knee patellofemoral syndrome, eczema, and right wrist ganglion cyst are remanded for further evaluation.

The Veteran's PTSD has been granted a 50 percent disability rating effective April 30, 2008, and a 70 percent disability evaluation effective July 6, 2009. The Board also granted entitlement to total disability rating based upon individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities beginning on July 6, 2009.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD is found to have contributed substantially or materially to his death from cerebral infarct and hypertensive cardiovascular disease. The Board grants the claim for the cause of the Veteran’s death.

The Board denied service connection for hypertension, neuropathy of the bilateral upper extremities, and PTSD. The Veteran's current conditions were not found to be caused or aggravated by his service-connected diabetes.

The Veteran's PTSD with unspecified depressive disorder is rated at 50 percent, effective January 14, 2010.,The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection for PTSD with unspecified depressive disorder is denied as no new and material evidence was received within one year of the May 2011 rating decision.,The Veteran’s TDIU claim is remanded to develop his employment history records and consider extraschedular TDIU.