PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) Board decisions

The Veteran's claims are remanded due to the need for updated VA examinations and additional medical records.

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for hypertension, hernia, psychiatric disability (to include PTSD), and a right knee condition have been dismissed. The appeal for sleep apnea is remanded.

The Veteran's PTSD was rated at 70% prior to February 21, 2006 and as of April 1, 2006. The appeal is denied.,TDIU was not granted before March 5, 2003 due to lack of service-connected disability preventing all gainful employment.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD and granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD. Service connection was denied for diabetes mellitus based on herbicide exposure, cataracts secondary to diabetes mellitus, fungal infection secondary to diabetes mellitus, peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity, right upper extremity, left lower extremity, and right lower extremity.

The Veteran's PTSD with alcohol abuse/dependency has been rated at 50 percent since the initial grant of service connection in January 2011. The appeal is for a higher rating, but the current rating adequately reflects the severity and impact of his symptoms.

The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss was denied, and his TDIU claim prior to October 4, 2012 was also denied due to the Veteran not providing necessary information on his employment history.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70% since August 24, 2012. The left-shoulder disorder claim remains denied.

The Veteran's claims for service connection have been reopened, and he is granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD, anxiety, and depressive disorder), right shoulder strain, and residuals of a traumatic brain injury. The claim for service connection for a rash remains pending as new evidence was received but does not establish the current condition.

The Veteran's PTSD with organic brain syndrome, secondary to malaria, resulted in occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas such as work, family relations, judgment, thinking, and mood. The Board granted a 70 percent evaluation for the period from June 8, 2009, to July 19, 2009.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder was denied. The claim for an increased rating for Depressive Disorder was also denied, but the Veteran's depressive disorder is now rated at 50% from April 21, 2015.

The Veteran's claim for PTSD has been reopened, and the Board grants a rating of 20 percent for ankylosing spondylitis with intervertebral disc syndrome. The claims for hypertension, diabetes mellitus, bilateral hearing loss, left knee disability, right knee disability, kidney stones, left hip disability, tinnitus, and neck disability are all remanded.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of PTSD was denied as the evidence did not meet the criteria for a liberalizing regulation change.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to lack of compliance with previous remand directives and for an addendum opinion from a VA examiner.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including depression, anxiety, and PTSD, is found to be related to service events. Service connection for these conditions has been granted.,Tinnitus was also found to have its onset during service and continues to this day, warranting service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities (PTSD, migraine headaches, corneal scarring, and tinnitus) have rendered him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment. The Board has granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to these conditions.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims due to insufficient medical opinions regarding her psychiatric disorders, tension headaches, and sinus disability. The AOJ must obtain VA outpatient treatment records from March 2013 to the present and schedule a VA examination for an appropriate physician to determine the etiology of these conditions.

The Veteran's claims of PTSD and DM were denied as new evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claims, and there was no service connection due to lack of exposure to herbicides or other presumptions.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, to include PTSD, anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder, has been reopened. The appeal is granted to that extent.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 50 percent for the entire appeal period, with a finding of occupational and social impairment due to symptoms such as depression, anxiety, flashbacks, panic attacks more than once a week, chronic sleep impairment, and intermittent visual hallucinations.

The claim of service connection for a deviated nasal septum is reopened, but denied. The Veteran's PTSD remains at the 30% rating prior to July 7, 2010 and at the 70% rating thereafter.