PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) Board decisions

The Veteran's appeal for a rating in excess of 10 percent for an acquired psychiatric disability, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, hemorrhoids, chronic sinusitis, right restless leg syndrome, and left restless leg syndrome has been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support granting service connection for these conditions.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to June 30, 2006 for the grant of service connection for PTSD is granted and the effective date will be October 2, 1985.

The Board denied service connection for both Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and bilateral tinnitus, finding no current diagnoses of these conditions in the Veteran's records. The Veteran did not have a current diagnosis of PTSD or tinnitus.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD does not meet the threshold requirements for a TDIU rating as his combined disability rating is less than 70%. The Board finds that he is not unemployable due to his service-connected disabilities, primarily his PTSD.

The Board has granted service connection for chronic sinusitis and an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and adjustment disorder. The Veteran's symptoms have been linked to his period of service.

The Veteran's PTSD is found to be the result of stressors experienced during his active military service in Vietnam, and the Board finds these stressors are consistent with the circumstances, conditions, or hardships of his service. Service connection for PTSD is granted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development of his VA and private medical records, including those from the Camden VA Clinic and Dr. C.G.H.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development and adjudication, including obtaining updated VA treatment records, scheduling a psychiatric examination to assess the impact of PTSD on employment, and readjudicating his claim for higher rating for PTSD.

The Veteran is entitled to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) from March 27, 2009 due to his service-connected PTSD and other disabilities.

The Veteran is unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation as a result of his service-connected PTSD and tinnitus.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office for a videoconference hearing before the Board on his claim for an increased evaluation for PTSD.

The Veteran's appeal regarding increased ratings for PTSD and TDIU is being remanded to the RO for further consideration of new evidence.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, is being remanded due to the inadequacy of the VA examination. The examiner did not provide a diagnosis of PTSD and did not discuss the Veteran's diagnosed depressive disorder.

The Veteran's service connection claim for a neck disability, manifested by chronic headaches, loss of feeling in the left hand and right hand, and loss of feeling in the left foot and right foot, was granted. The Veteran's service connection claim for a hernia was denied. A rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD, effective from December 8, 2010, was granted. The Veteran's TDIU rating claim is pending.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings for PTSD, lumbosacral strain, and left knee disability were denied as the evidence did not show that his service-connected conditions warranted higher ratings.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 70 percent since the initial rating period, reflecting significant occupational and social impairment.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded to obtain additional treatment records and to provide a VA examination for his PTSD. The case will be reviewed after these actions are completed.

The Veteran is entitled to a 70 percent evaluation for PTSD effective April 28, 2005. The Board also finds that the criteria for TDIU are met as of this date.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD, finding that his combat-related stressors are verified and his diagnosis of PTSD is linked to these stressors.

The Veteran's appeals for a higher initial rating for service-connected PTSD and major depression, and for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for PTSD and major depression have been withdrawn.