PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) Board decisions

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 50 percent since January 31, 2012. The rating is based on the criteria for a direct service connection and does not involve any presumption or secondary condition.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed as he withdrew his appeal in an October 2016 written statement.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities did not prevent him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment from February 11, 2008 through January 24, 2011.

The Veteran's right shoulder disability, including PTSD and a left shoulder disorder secondary to the service-connected right shoulder disability, is rated at 10 percent prior to October 29, 2014. The effective date for the temporary total rating due to convalescence following surgery on the right shoulder is not earlier than October 29, 2014.

The Veteran's appeal for a TDIU was granted, and her appeals for increased ratings for PTSD, low back disability, right knee disability, and left knee disability were dismissed due to her agreement to withdraw those claims in exchange for the grant of TDIU.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 70 percent since June 16, 2014, due to significant occupational and social impairment.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a diagnosed psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, related to his military service and therefore denied the claim for service connection.

The Veteran's appeal was remanded by the Board in April 2015. The case is now being returned to the Board for further development and consideration of his claims, including whether his service-connected disabilities render him unemployable.

The Veteran's anxiety disorder with PTSD symptoms has been productive of occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity, warranting a 50 percent disability rating over the entire appeals period.

The Veteran's PTSD and TBI residuals have been rated based on their current manifestations, with the PTSD receiving a 50 percent rating since January 22, 2008, and the TBI receiving a 10 percent rating since October 30, 2009. The Board found that neither condition warranted higher ratings.

The Board found that the Veteran's hypertension is etiologically related to his service-connected PTSD, CAD, DM, and residuals of a right foot injury. The decision grants service connection for hypertension as secondary to these conditions.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, excluding PTSD. The Veteran's anxiety symptoms were found to be related to his service and meet the criteria for a valid diagnosis of anxiety disorder.

The Veteran's appeal for a rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD prior to January 18, 2007 is dismissed as his disagreement with the December 2012 rating decision was not proper. The issue of entitlement to an initial compensable disability rating for hypertension and TDIU prior to January 18, 2007 remains on appeal.

The Veteran's death was caused by AIDS, which he contracted due to intravenous drug use. The Board is remanded for a VA medical opinion on whether the service-connected PTSD contributed to or caused his intravenous drug use.

The Board found that the Veteran's appeal of the August 2013 rating decision was not timely received, and thus denied the appeal.

The Veteran's PTSD is found to be attributable to his service in Vietnam, meeting the criteria for direct service connection.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim of entitlement to an effective date earlier than September 28, 1998 for service connection for low back strain with sciatica and PTSD. The decision was based on a lack of evidence showing that the Veteran filed a formal or informal claim prior to September 1998.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from obtaining or maintaining substantially gainful employment, as his anxiety disorder does not cause more than intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks.

The Board found that service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, left knee disability, and right knee disability is not warranted based on the evidence of record.