PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) Board decisions

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is granted as the evidence supports that his current diagnosis of PTSD is related to in-service stressors during combat service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a left elbow strain was dismissed due to the Veteran withdrawing his appeal. The Board found that the Veteran has PTSD linked to an in-service personal assault and granted service connection for this condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, anxiety, and depression, is service-connected due to exposure to traumatic events during his military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for VA examinations and additional development of records.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development due to outstanding VA medical records, and the Veteran's claim will be reconsidered after these records are obtained.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent since the beginning of the appeal period, with no further rating adjustments considered.

The Board has dismissed the appeal regarding whether a timely substantive appeal was received to a February 2012 rating decision denying service connection for urticarial rash (claimed as illness due to vaccine). The remaining issues of reopening claims and establishing service connection have been remanded.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent disabling, effective April 29, 2009. The Board finds that the evidence supports a higher rating of 70 percent for the entire appeal period.

The Veteran's claim for a higher initial disability rating for PTSD was initially denied, but later increased to 100 percent effective April 6, 2015. The earlier effective date claim is still pending and will determine whether the TDIU claim should be granted prior to that date.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent for the period prior to July 24, 2017, due to occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas such as work, school, family relations, judgment, or mood. The higher rating reflects significant impairment in his ability to maintain stable relationships and engage in meaningful employment.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 100% since July 27, 2010, based on the severity of his symptoms and inability to function socially or vocationally.

The Veteran's PTSD prior to October 2, 2009 resulted in occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas such as work, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood. However, the symptoms did not meet the criteria for a 100% rating due to total occupational and social impairment.

The Veteran's chronic fatigue syndrome is not due to an undiagnosed illness or other qualifying chronic disability, and her eye condition (bilateral cataracts) is not related to service connection.,Her sinusitis and sleep apnea are less likely than not caused by or resulting from military service.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus have rendered him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment since April 19, 2013. The Board finds that he meets the criteria for a TDIU due to his combined disability rating of 90 percent.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation since July 2010.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss resulted in a combined rating of 90 percent as of June 10, 2011. This prevented him from securing and following substantially gainful employment.,As of June 10, 2011, the Veteran was found to meet the schedular criteria for TDIU based on his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's ED is granted as secondary to his service-connected PTSD, with all reasonable doubt resolved in favor of the Veteran.

The Board denied the claim for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, finding that there was no evidence supporting a link between the claimed in-service stressor and current symptoms.

The Veteran's posttraumatic stress disorder is rated at 50% since July 3, 2006. For the period from July 3, 2006 through January 17, 2007, he was granted a 20% rating for his degenerative disc disease at L4-5. The Veteran's claim for higher ratings for his degenerative disc disease and unemployability due to service-connected disabilities is denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to clarify his employment history and obtain any relevant VA vocational rehabilitation records.