PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2000

The veteran's post-traumatic stress disorder warrants a 50 percent evaluation, reflecting considerable social and industrial impairment.

The RO has granted an effective date of September 30, 1994 for the grant of service connection for PTSD. The appellant's claims regarding initial ratings for his PTSD are pending and will be addressed in a future decision.

The Board dismissed the motion for CUE regarding the April 1998 decision on attorney fee agreements due to lack of a clear and unmistakable error (CUE) claim.

The Board has found the claims for compensation for PTSD and service connection for bipolar disorder to be well grounded. The RO is instructed to review these claims based on all of the evidence now of record, including VA outpatient treatment records from 1994 onwards and counseling records from a local veterans center.

The VA determined that the veteran's PTSD does not warrant an increased rating beyond the current 50 percent assigned.

The Board has granted service connection for scoliosis of the thoracic spine and post-traumatic stress disorder, but denied the claim regarding the June 1970 rating decision. The effective date for scoliosis is September 10, 1996, while an initial evaluation in excess of 30 percent for post-traumatic stress disorder remains pending.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and a rash in the groin area are not well-grounded, as there is no competent medical evidence to support these claims.

The veteran's PTSD is currently evaluated as 30 percent disabling. The Board found that the disability picture more closely approximates a 30 percent evaluation than a higher one, given the veteran's symptoms and overall functioning.

The Board has granted a 30 percent evaluation for the veteran's post-traumatic stress disorder, finding that it meets the criteria for this rating based on occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency or intermittent periods of inability to perform tasks due to symptoms such as depression, anxiety, sleep impairment, and mild memory loss.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals has determined that the veteran's PTSD does not warrant a rating higher than 50 percent, as it results in considerable industrial impairment.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD, right knee injury, and left knee injury. The decision also noted that new evidence did not meet the criteria to reopen the claim of residuals of a left knee injury.

The veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is well grounded and the appeal is granted.

The Board denied the veteran's claim of service connection for PTSD, finding that his current symptoms do not meet the criteria for this condition.,The Board also determined that new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen the low back disability claim. The Board found that the additional evidence did not provide a plausible basis for reopening the claim.

The Board has granted a 100 percent evaluation for the veteran's service-connected PTSD, finding that it results in total occupational and social impairment.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an effective date prior to March 28, 1994, for assignment of a 100 percent disability rating for PTSD. The earliest date from which an increased disability rating could be granted was March 28, 1994.

The veteran's PTSD and major depressive disorder have resulted in total occupational and social impairment, warranting a 100 percent rating.

The veteran's PTSD is rated at 30 percent, which is the maximum rating available.,Service connection for a skin disorder of the feet and headaches has been granted.

The claim of PTSD is supported by evidence showing it is plausible or capable of substantiation.,The claim for residuals of neck and right shoulder injuries, while new material evidence has been submitted, remains not well grounded.

The veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining treatment records and scheduling a new examination to assess the severity of his PTSD.

The veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death.