PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) Board decisions

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, due to incomplete verification of a stressor event and need for additional medical opinions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for increased ratings and earlier effective dates, finding that his service-connected conditions did not meet the criteria for higher ratings or earlier effective dates.

The Veteran's PTSD warrants a disability rating of 30 percent prior to March 31, 2012 and 70 percent thereafter.,The Veteran's ischemic heart disease is manifested by more than one episode of acute congestive heart failure in the past year; or a workload of greater than 3 METs but not greater than 5 METs resulting in dyspnea, fatigue, angina, dizziness, or syncope; or left ventricular dysfunction with an ejection fraction of 30 to 50 percent. Therefore, a rating of 60 percent is warranted.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD with major depressive disorder has been rated at 70 percent, but the Board finds that his symptoms do not more nearly approximate the criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have rendered him unable to maintain substantially gainful employment, and the Board has determined that a TDIU is warranted.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and opinion.

The Board granted a 100% disability rating for the Veteran's service-connected schizophrenia (previously evaluated as major depressive disorder with severe psychotic features) prior to October 22, 2014. The claim for service connection for PTSD was denied.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, claimed as PTSD and anxiety, is denied because there is no credible evidence of onset during service and the stressors are not corroborated.

The Veteran's PTSD was rated at 30 percent from August 9, 2007 to November 18, 2008. The Board found that the symptoms did not warrant a higher rating and denied both his increased rating claim for PTSD and his TDIU claim during this period.

The Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disability (PTSD, major depressive disorder, adjustment disorder, and anxiety) has been manifested by symptoms resulting in total occupational and social impairment for the entire period on appeal.,Entitlement to TDIU prior to March 19, 2010 is moot due to the 100 percent schedular rating for PTSD, major depressive disorder, adjustment disorder, and anxiety.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a right shoulder disability or PTSD due to service, and his claim for an initial compensable rating for erectile dysfunction is denied.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, lumbosacral strain, chest pain due to undiagnosed illness, and reactive airway disease due to undiagnosed illness, rendered him unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment prior to April 25, 1999. Effective April 25, 1999, the Veteran was found unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case to the AOJ for further action on the issue of an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for PTSD, which was granted with a rating of 50 percent effective June 9, 2014.

The Veteran's PTSD symptoms have not met the criteria for a rating in excess of 50 percent, and his other service-connected conditions do not warrant higher ratings.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete records and further development is needed. The Veteran's claims for service connection are pending.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated as 50 percent disabling, but the evidence does not show that his service-connected PTSD has prevented him from obtaining or retaining substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 50 percent since January 29, 2008. The Board finds that the criteria for a higher rating are not met.

The Board found that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD was not incurred in or aggravated by military service, and it may not be presumed to have been incurred in service. The claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for PTSD, a higher rating for PTSD, and TDIU is denied.

The Veteran's appeal has been withdrawn, and the Board has no further jurisdiction in this matter.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD alone prevents him from securing or following substantially gainful occupation, and the Board finds that his disability rating of 70% is sufficient to meet the criteria for a TDIU.