PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) Board decisions

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and gunshot wounds, render him unable to find and maintain substantially gainful employment.

The Board has remanded the cases for additional development due to insufficient evidence and need for updated evaluations.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disabilities, including PTSD and major depressive disorder, are granted as secondary to her service-connected back disability. The rating for her lumbar spine disability remains at 20 percent.

The Board has found that additional development is needed for the issues of service connection for headaches and an acquired psychiatric disability (including PTSD). Specifically, outstanding treatment records must be obtained and examinations are needed to address the etiology of these disabilities.

The Veteran's previously denied claims for left knee pain, bilateral hearing loss, back disability, skin lesions, and an acquired psychiatric disorder are being remanded due to the submission of new evidence that raises a reasonable possibility of substantiating these claims.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence to determine if the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including PTSD, are related to his service. The Veteran was stationed aboard USS Wilkinson during his active duty and reported two in-service stressors: firing of guns while he was on board and a fire that resulted in the death of two soldiers.

The Board dismissed all claims of service connection for various conditions, including muscle spasms, lumbar and cervical spine disorders, hip, knee, ankle, and leg disorders, PTSD, GERD with chronic gastritis and duodenitis, and eczematous dermatitis. The Veteran's current diagnoses are considered to be related to her military service.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent since April 24, 1997 and higher than 70 percent effective May 6, 2016. The Veteran also received a TDIU rating effective January 3, 2011.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was reopened on June 17, 1977. The effective date of this grant is set to June 17, 1977.

The Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for his low back disability diagnosed as degenerative arthritis of the spine was denied. The issue of entitlement to TDIU prior to December 8, 2016 is remanded.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a cervical spine disability and an increased rating for PTSD are denied. The Board found that the current disabilities are not related to military service, and the Veteran's mental health issues do not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran's claims for an effective date earlier than January 16, 2014 for the award of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and for service connection for a pulmonary disability were denied. The Board also found that remand was necessary to address the Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at a 70 percent disability rating, effective throughout the appeal period.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for left and right knee disabilities, as well as a skin disability, have been denied. The claim for service connection for a psychiatric disability (PTSD and depression) has been granted.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for a right ankle disability is pending and will be remanded.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary for the claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, residuals of trauma with strain right shoulder, residuals of trauma with cervical spine degenerative disease, and residuals of trauma with headaches. The Veteran will be scheduled for VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of these conditions.

The Board dismissed the appeal for the propriety of reducing the evaluation for prostate cancer residuals from 100 percent to 60 percent and for an evaluation in excess of 60 percent. The Veteran's claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) prior to December 5, 2017 is granted.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD has been rated at 50 percent, which is the maximum non-compensable rating. The Veteran also received a grant for TDIU based on his service-connected conditions and unemployability.

The Board has remanded the claims for an initial evaluation in excess of 30 percent for PTSD with depressive disorder and for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to outstanding VA treatment records and the need to consider whether the Veteran is eligible for a TDIU.

The Board has remanded four issues: service connection for PTSD, evaluation in excess of 20 percent for lumbar strain, evaluation in excess of 10 percent for left knee disability, and evaluation in excess of 10 percent for hypertension. The Veteran is to be provided with VA examinations to assess the current severity of his disabilities and determine their etiology.

The Veteran's claims for compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151, service connection, and TDIU are being remanded due to the need for further development.