PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2000

The veteran's service-connected PTSD is rated at 30 percent, and the claim for secondary service connection for cardiovascular disease due to PTSD has been granted.

The veteran's PTSD is rated at the maximum (100%) disability rating due to total occupational and social impairment.

The VA denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations for his service-connected bilateral hearing loss and PTSD.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for PTSD and residuals of a gunshot wound to the right chest, injury to Muscle Group II were denied. The veteran was also denied a total compensation rating based on individual unemployability.

The VA granted a 100% evaluation for the veteran's PTSD effective from January 18, 1995.

The Board granted an increased rating evaluation for the appellant's post-traumatic stress disorder from 10 percent to 50 percent. The claim for service connection for a skin disorder due to Agent Orange exposure was not reopened as new and material evidence was not presented.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for an increased rating of his service-connected psychophysiologic gastrointestinal reaction with PTSD, currently rated at 50 percent.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for post-traumatic stress disorder and an increased rating for gunshot wound, left shoulder with arthritis. The veteran did not meet the criteria for PTSD as diagnosed by a medical professional. For his gunshot wound, while there was some limitation of motion noted on examination, it did not warrant a higher rating under applicable diagnostic codes.

The VA denied increased ratings for the veteran's service-connected PTSD and migraine headaches, maintaining current 30 percent disability ratings.

The Board has determined that the veteran's current diagnosis of PTSD is a result of verified stressors from service, and thus grants service connection for PTSD.

The veteran's service-connected PTSD is productive of occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood. The criteria for a 70 percent evaluation have been met.

The veteran's service connection claim for PTSD is granted, as the evidence supports her allegation of in-service sexual assault and links her current PTSD to this event.

The veteran's service-connected paranoid type schizophrenia has rendered her unable to secure or maintain substantially gainful employment, and the Board finds that she is entitled to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.

The Board found that the veteran's claimed in-service stressors have not been corroborated by service records or other credible evidence, and thus denied his claim for service connection for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

The veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his withdrawal of the appeal.

The veteran's PTSD was rated at 30 percent from April 28, 1997 to May 31, 1998 and then increased to 50 percent effective August 1, 1998.

The veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD has been reopened, and he is now entitled to a compensable evaluation (10%) for his residuals of pellet shotgun wounds of the left lower extremity with retained foreign bodies. The other issues have also been granted.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an initial rating in excess of 10 percent for his left ankle disability, a prior effective date for PTSD, and TDIU due to service-connected disabilities. The appeals were not about service connection at all.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claim of service connection for PTSD is well-grounded and grants this issue. The veteran also claims service connection for various other conditions, including joint pain, stomach condition, sleep disorder, night sweats, fatigue, memory loss, depression, headaches, sinus infections with runny nose, and chest pain, all potentially related to an undiagnosed illness during his military service in the Persian Gulf War. The Board finds that further examination is needed for these claims.

The veteran's claim for a higher initial evaluation for his service-connected post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is being remanded due to the need for additional VA treatment records.