PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) Board decisions

The Veteran's initial rating for PTSD was granted at 30 percent effective December 14, 1990. The Board increased the rating to 70 percent from November 7, 1996, and continued the 30 percent rating prior to that date. A TDIU was also granted effective June 11, 2011.

The Board has ordered additional development to obtain the Veteran's complete service personnel and treatment records, including those from his reported service in the Air Force Reserve and Army Reserve. The case will be remanded for this purpose.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a new psychiatric examination and updated treatment records, as well as addressing the severity of his PTSD symptoms.

The Board found that the Veteran did not have a verified in-service stressor for PTSD and denied service connection.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 50% prior to November 27, 2013 and at 70% from that date onwards. He also has a newly reopened depressive disorder NOS which requires service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, migraine headaches, tinnitus, chest pain, hypertension, and supraventricular arrhythmia, have precluded him from securing and following substantially gainful employment. The Board has granted a TDIU. Regarding the claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 50 percent for migraine headaches on an extraschedular basis, the Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not present such an exceptional or unusual disability picture that the available schedular evaluations are inadequate.

The Veteran's major depressive disorder and PTSD have resulted in total occupational and social impairment, with deficiencies in most areas such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, and mood.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's PTSD is due to a personal assault during service and has been granted service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD with depression is rated at 70 percent since September 26, 2013. The appeal for a higher initial rating prior to this date remains pending.

The Veteran has withdrawn his appeals regarding the increased rating for PTSD with brain syndrome and residuals of a shell fragment wound of the right knee, as well as the TDIU issue.

The Board denied the claim for service connection for PTSD, for accrued benefits purposes. The Veteran's death was used to reopen his previously denied claims, but the new evidence did not meet the criteria for reopening.

The Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disability, including major depressive disorder with dysthymia and posttraumatic stress disorder, does not more nearly approximate the criteria for a rating in excess of 70 percent due to occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity.

The Veteran's PTSD with major depressive disorder was rated at 30 percent prior to June 27, 2011 and increased to 50 percent thereafter. The effective date for the increase in rating is not specified.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, including psychosis and depression, was denied as there is no evidence of a mental health condition during or related to his military service.,Service connection for erectile dysfunction was also denied because the Veteran did not have a service-connected disability that caused or aggravated his condition.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus, make him unable to obtain or retain substantially gainful employment. The Board finds that the criteria for Total Disability Rating based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) are met.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 50 percent since April 5, 2011 and the Board finds that a higher rating of 70 percent is warranted for this period. The claim for TDIU prior to October 21, 2015 was denied as the Veteran had not yet met the criteria for unemployability due to his service-connected disabilities. The claim for TDIU from October 21, 2015 is dismissed as a combined rating of 100 percent has been assigned.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's diabetes mellitus and coronary artery disease are not service-connected due to lack of exposure to herbicide agents during military service. The acquired psychiatric disability claim is remanded for further development.

The Board finds that the preponderance of the evidence is against the Veteran's appeal seeking an earlier effective date for PTSD, and thus denies this claim. The appeals seeking a higher initial rating for PTSD and TDIU are dismissed.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board finds that a higher rating of 70 percent is warranted due to occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 70 percent since March 24, 2009. The Board found that the symptoms do not warrant a higher evaluation and granted an initial rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD. Additionally, the Veteran was granted TDIU due to his service-connected PTSD.