PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case due to concerns about obtaining inpatient records from September 1988 and addressing the relationship between service-connected lumbar spine disability and mental health disabilities.

The Board denied service connection for unspecified depressive disorder and PTSD due to lack of evidence supporting a causal relationship between the conditions and the Veteran's military service.

The Board granted an increased rating of 70 percent for the psychiatric disorder from April 5, 2023.

The Board remands the issue of service connection for PTSD due to an inadequate prior decision and to obtain a new, in-person VA examination.

The veteran withdrew his appeal for all issues on appeal, and the Board has no jurisdiction to review the appeal.

The Board remands the appeal for further development and readjudication consistent with the Court's decision, which found VA failed in its duty to assist the Veteran regarding his PTSD claim and misapplied the law regarding an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent, and the Board found that an evaluation higher than 50 percent is not warranted due to lack of occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas.

The Veteran's PTSD with depression is rated at 50 percent, the maximum rating available under the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders. The Board found that his symptoms did not warrant a higher rating as they resulted in occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity.

The Veteran's appeal for an increased evaluation of his PTSD was dismissed because the September 2020 rating decision, which is not considered an initial decision in the modernized appeals system, did not allow the Board to exercise jurisdiction over this matter.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension due to presumed exposure to herbicide agents under the PACT Act. The issues of sleep apnea and PTSD are remanded as they require further development.

The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's OSA as secondary to his service-connected PTSD, finding that the current OSA disability is at least as likely as not caused by or aggravated by the PTSD.

The Veteran's PTSD rating was reduced from 70% to 50%, but the Board found this reduction improper and restored the original 70% rating.

The Board has remanded the cases for a retrospective assessment of the Veteran's service-connected PTSD on its own merits, as well as to determine if it alone is sufficient to warrant an earlier effective date for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) benefits.

The appeals for increased evaluations and service connection have been dismissed as the claims were pending under the legacy appeal system at the time of the April 2021 VA Form 10182, which is not within the AMA's jurisdiction.

The Veteran's PTSD disability rating has been increased to 100 percent effective from May 30, 2024.,A total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities prior to May 30, 2024 is not granted.

The Veteran's dysthymic disorder prior to May 1, 2020 was rated at 50 percent. From May 1, 2020, his PTSD warranted a 100 percent rating.

The Board has dismissed the appeals for service connection of various conditions due to the Veteran's death during the appeal process.

The Veteran withdrew her appeal for service connection for PTSD, and the Board has dismissed the case as a result.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, bilateral tinnitus, and hearing loss in the right ear, have rendered him unemployable. The Board has determined that his TDIU is warranted based on the severity of these conditions.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for increased rating of PTSD and TDIU due to service-connected disabilities. The Veteran was not properly notified of a scheduled VA examination for PTSD, which is causing a duty-to-assist error.