PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2000

The veteran's claim for PTSD was denied in October 1984, and he requested a personal hearing. The RO did not conduct the hearing due to the veteran's behavior during the hearing. In May 1990, the veteran filed another application for service connection for PTSD which was granted effective September 19, 1990.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating of PTSD is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining Social Security Disability records and other treatment reports.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a chronic acquired psychiatric disorder in 1981. New evidence submitted since then does not provide a link between the veteran's current psychiatric condition and his military service, so the claim is not reopened.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claims for service connection for post-traumatic stress disorder and injury to the right leg, as well as whether new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen a claim of entitlement to service connection for injury to the left testicle. The veteran's claims are granted.

The Board has determined that the veteran's PTSD manifestations, as of October 27, 1993, produced considerable impairment and warrants a 50% evaluation retroactively.

The Board granted an increased evaluation of 30 percent for the veteran's service-connected Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) effective from November 22, 1996.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim of service connection for PTSD due to new and material evidence, including his combat experiences. The claim is now well-grounded.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected PTSD warrants a 70 percent disability rating, reflecting severe occupational and social impairment.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is well-grounded, but there is no competent evidence of a verified stressor. The medical evidence does not establish a diagnosis of PTSD based on a verified stressor. Therefore, the claim for service connection for PTSD is denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for service connection and a higher rating for PTSD, finding that the earliest record of treatment was on January 27, 1987.

The Board found that the veteran's claimed stressor did not occur during service and could not be verified. The diagnosis of PTSD is based on the veteran's self-reported history, which was not corroborated by evidence. As a result, the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, was denied.

The veteran's service-connected PTSD is productive of total social and industrial impairment, warranting a 100 percent rating.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for PTSD and drug abuse. The decision found that there was no credible supporting evidence for the claimed in-service stressor, which might lead to PTSD, and thus denied service connection for PTSD. It also concluded that drug abuse is a willful misconduct condition and direct service connection may not be granted.

The Board dismissed the appeal because the veteran did not timely file either a substantive appeal or a request for an extension of time to do so, and therefore is statutorily barred from appealing the April 1995 decision denying the application to reopen the previously denied claim of service connection for PTSD.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected psychiatric disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety reaction with neurasthenic features, warrant a 50% evaluation due to significant impairment in social and occupational functioning.

The veteran's claim for a higher rating for his PTSD is being remanded due to the need for additional medical records and further review of the case.

The veteran's appeal to the Board of Veterans' Appeals was dismissed because he did not file a timely substantive appeal from the April 1997 rating decision denying service connection for PTSD.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD, finding that there is no credible evidence linking his current symptoms to any in-service stressor.

The veteran's death was caused by bilateral pulmonary edema due to congestive heart failure, which is likely related to his service-connected PTSD and right leg amputation. The Board has determined that these conditions contributed substantially to the cause of death.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for dysthymia, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and a personality disorder are not well grounded. The evidence does not support a finding of current disabilities related to her military service.