PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) Board decisions

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, due to military sexual trauma. The evidence now shows that her PTSD and other mental health conditions are more likely a direct result of her in-service MST.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to new evidence received after a previous SSOC. The Veteran is diagnosed with an acquired psychiatric disability including PTSD, Adjustment Disorder and a depressive disorder, and a skin disability possibly related to herbicide exposure during service.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent, and he is granted a TDIU based on his service-connected PTSD.

The Board has granted service connection for erectile dysfunction, finding that it is secondary to the Veteran's service-connected PTSD and diabetes.

Service connection for PTSD has been granted.,An initial rating in excess of 10 percent for degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine and a separate 10 percent rating for right knee instability have been granted.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to insufficient evidence and need for further examination regarding the Veteran's claim of service connection for PTSD.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 70 percent since September 9, 2003, to March 18, 2008. The rating is denied as the symptoms do not meet criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation, as he has the education and training for sedentary administrative work.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection of PTSD due to new and material evidence. The Veteran's PTSD is now considered service-connected.

The Veteran's claim for a disability rating of 70 percent, but no higher, for service-connected PTSD prior to April 26, 2015, was granted. The claim for a rating higher than 70 percent for PTSD after April 26, 2015, was denied.

The Veteran's claim for an effective date of September 21, 2013, for the grant of service connection for PTSD is granted. The Veteran's claim for a bilateral knee disability is remanded.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the inextricability of his TDIU claim with other service connection claims. The TDIU issue will be deferred until all other claims are adjudicated.

The Veteran's death was caused by accidental intoxication due to the combined use of alcohol and sertraline, which is considered willful misconduct. The service-connected PTSD did not contribute substantially or materially to his death.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus, cataracts, erectile dysfunction, loss of smell and taste, peripheral neuropathy of bilateral lower extremities, and acquired psychiatric disorder (PTSD) are not related to his military service. The claims for these conditions have been denied as there is no evidence of exposure to herbicide agents during service or any other basis for presumptive service connection.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining a retrospective VA medical opinion to clarify the Veteran’s symptoms of residuals of TBI prior to August 1, 2015.

The claim of service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, is reopened due to the submission of new evidence. However, the case is remanded as further medical opinion is needed regarding whether the Veteran's diabetes mellitus is at least as likely as not proximately due to his service-connected PTSD.

The Veteran's TDIU claim was remanded due to the need for new examinations as his disabilities had worsened since the last VA examination in 2013. The Board found that a thorough and contemporaneous medical examination is necessary.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for residuals of a head injury is granted. The Board finds that the evidence is at least in equipoise and satisfactorily establishes that the claimed head injury residuals originated during the Veteran’s active service. For PTSD, the Veteran's current rating of 50 percent is upheld as there are no symptoms warranting a higher rating.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is remanded due to concerns about the thoroughness of his VA examination and changes in his condition over time.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased rating of PTSD and a TDIU is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA medical records and scheduling a PTSD examination.