PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) Board decisions

The Board is remanding the case for a VA psychiatric examination to determine if there is clear and unmistakable evidence that the Veteran's preexisting psychiatric disorder did not undergo a permanent increase in severity due to service, and whether any current psychiatric disorder had its onset in active service or is otherwise causally related to active duty service.

The Veteran's service-connected coronary artery disease status post bypass surgery associated with hypertension was granted an initial rating of 30 percent from February 18, 2004, to July 7, 2010, and a subsequent increased rating to 60 percent effective July 8, 2010.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, to include PTSD, is granted.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for the following actions: (1) issuance of a statement of the case addressing his claim for an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for PTSD from November 15, 1994 to September 4, 2000; and (2) review of his claim for an effective date prior to April 25, 2002, for TDIU. The claims are inextricably intertwined.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychological disability, including PTSD due to military sexual trauma, has been remanded for further development and an additional VA psychiatric examination.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at the highest possible level (100%) due to total occupational and social impairment.

The Veteran's claim for an increased initial rating for PTSD remains in appellate status due to the remand from the Board. The RO/AMC is instructed to obtain updated VA treatment records and associate them with his claims file before issuing a supplemental statement of the case.

The Veteran's posttraumatic stress disorder is found to have originated during his service in Afghanistan, and the Board grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including providing proper notice regarding evidence from sources other than service records and obtaining VA treatment records. The Veteran's psychiatric disorders will also be evaluated by a VA examiner.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for low back pain and headaches due to new and material evidence. However, further development is needed prior to adjudication of these issues.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for specially adapted housing or a special home adaptation grant due to his inability to use braces, crutches, canes, or a wheelchair as a normal mode of locomotion.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus, do not render him unemployable due to their severity alone. The combined disability rating is sufficient to support a finding of TDIU.

The Veteran does not have an innocently acquired psychiatric disability, to include PTSD, due to disease or injury that was incurred in or aggravated by active service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right knee, left knee, and low back disorders as secondary to his service-connected bilateral pes planus. The claim for PTSD was also denied due to lack of credible supporting evidence that the claimed stressor actually occurred.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus type II, and assigned a 10 percent disability rating.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for additional development, including scheduling a VA examination and obtaining relevant medical records. The case will be readjudicated after this.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining additional medical records and providing a VA examination to assess the severity of the Veteran's service-connected acquired psychiatric disorder. The TDIU claim is also inextricably intertwined with the psychiatric disorder issue.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including anxiety disorder and PTSD, are related to his military service and grants service connection for these conditions.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to outstanding service treatment records and VCAA notice issues.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including a VA examination to determine the current severity of the Veteran's PTSD and whether he is unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities.