PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) Board decisions

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a new VA examination to assess the severity of her service-connected PTSD since her separation from service in July 2007. The RO/AMC must also obtain her medical records from the Biloxi VA Medical Center.

The Veteran's generalized anxiety disorder has been rated at 30 percent, reflecting occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks due to depressed mood, chronic anxiety, suspiciousness, and chronic sleep impairment along with social isolation.

The Board has ordered the case to be remanded for additional development, including obtaining updated VA treatment records and verifying the Veteran's current address. The Veteran will have an opportunity to appear at a personal hearing before a Veterans Law Judge.

The Veteran seeks service connection for various psychiatric conditions, an ulcer, and hemorrhoids. The Board has determined that a remand is necessary to obtain Social Security Administration records, arrange for a VA examination, and readjudicate the claims.

The Veteran's PTSD is manifested by significant, but not total, social and occupational impairment. The Board finds that a 70 percent rating for the Veteran's PTSD is warranted.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a psychiatric disability, including anxiety, depression, and PTSD. The claim for reopening of his headache claim was also denied.

The Veteran's posttraumatic stress disorder was manifested by occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas from October 15, 2003 to November 19, 2008.,From October 15, 2003 to November 19, 2008, the Veteran's posttraumatic stress disorder was rated at 70 percent.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for an examination and consideration of the applicability of new regulations regarding service connection for PTSD.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD, finding that he does not meet the criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD under the DSM-IV and that his symptoms do not align with the specific diagnostic criteria required for a PTSD diagnosis.

The Veteran's PTSD was initially rated as noncompensable, but has since been increased to 30 percent for the initial claim period and to 50 percent for the appeal period beginning September 17, 2008.

The Board finds that the Veteran's current psychiatric disorders, including PTSD and Bipolar Disorder, are at least as likely as not related to his military service. Service connection is granted for these conditions.

The Veteran is granted a TDIU from May 19, 2008 to June 10, 2010 due to his service-connected PTSD preventing him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for Obstructive Sleep Apnea and PTSD, finding that his sleep disorder is not attributable to undiagnosed illness or otherwise to his time on active duty.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his PTSD is being remanded due to the need to obtain additional treatment records from the Vet Center in St. Petersburg, Florida.

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

The Veteran's claims for higher ratings for his left knee disability, low back disability, left hip bursitis, PTSD, and CAD were granted. He is now entitled to a separate 10 percent rating for arthritis in the left knee since October 2009.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining an addendum opinion from a VA examiner to determine if the Veteran's depressive disorder and dysthymia are related to his service.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including a low back disorder, PTSD, diabetes mellitus, right lumbar radioculopathy, and other conditions, render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment due to his physical limitations and mental health issues.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's PTSD is due to his in-service military stressors and grants service connection for PTSD.