PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) Board decisions

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 70 percent since July 17, 2012. The Board finds that the evidence supports a higher rating of 70 percent for the entire appeal period.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA medical records and a new PTSD examination. The TDIU issue will also be considered.

The Board found that the Veteran's anxiety disorder, which is currently rated as 10 percent disabling, does not warrant a higher rating due to lack of occupational and social impairment.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, anxiety, stress, depression, sleep disorder, and nightmares is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination and additional development of the claims file.

The Veteran withdrew their appeal before the Board could make a decision.

The Veteran's PTSD, diabetes mellitus, and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral lower extremities are all granted as service-connected due to exposure to herbicides during her active military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for right and left knee disorders, residuals of a left wrist injury, and psychiatric disorder have been denied as there is no evidence to support these claims.

The Board denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date for service connection of PTSD and found no clear and unmistakable error in the prior rating decisions.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 70 percent since August 17, 2015. The appeal involves determining if a higher rating was warranted prior to that date.

The Board has found that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disabilities, including PTSD and depressive disorder, are related to his active service. The case is now remanded for further development regarding the TDIU claim.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and readjudication due to a request for substitution of the Veteran's surviving spouse.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 70 percent since September 4, 2014, due to significant occupational and social impairment.

The Veteran's appeal was dismissed due to his death during the pendency of the appeal. The Board has no jurisdiction to adjudicate the merits of this appeal at this time.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD with major depressive disorder and alcohol use disorder alone precluded him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation prior to March 31, 2011.

The Board has remanded the case for a VA PTSD examination to determine if the Veteran has a current diagnosis of PTSD or any other psychiatric disability related to his military service, including his conceded stressor. The examiner must consider conducting MMPI-2 and PAI tests to assess the validity of the Veteran's self-reporting.

The Veteran's PTSD prior to October 2, 2015 resulted in occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood.,For the period prior to October 2, 2015, the Veteran was found to be unemployable due to his PTSD.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated as 50 percent disabling prior to January 26, 2017 and has been increased to 70 percent disabling on and after January 26, 2017.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at a 70 percent disability rating, the highest available under the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders. The Board finds that his symptoms meet the criteria for this rating and grants the claim.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral pes planus was denied in October 2002. New evidence received since that decision does not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim, and thus new and material evidence has not been presented to reopen this claim.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining a VA examination and determining whether the Veteran's PTSD is related to his military service. The appeal will be returned to the Board after this development.