PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2000

The Board is remanding the case to determine if new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim for service connection for a chronic neuropsychiatric disability, claimed as PTSD. If new and material evidence is found, the Board will then decide whether the reopened claim should be granted based on the merits.

The Board found that the veteran's claimed in-service stressors were not verified, and thus did not establish a valid PTSD diagnosis based on service. As such, the claim for service connection was denied.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating of 30 percent for PTSD is granted.

The veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was reopened and granted. His residuals of shell fragment wounds of the left forearm and right buttock were also granted increased evaluations, with a non-compensable evaluation for the left forearm and a compensable evaluation (10%) for the right buttock. Service connection for a heart disorder was well grounded.

The veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent, the highest available rating under VA guidelines for this condition.

The veteran's claims for PTSD and chloracne due to Agent Orange exposure have been granted, but the specific rating has not yet been assigned.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection of PTSD and granted it, finding that new evidence supports a diagnosis of PTSD related to in-service stressors.

The Board denied the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for PTSD, finding that there was no competent evidence of stressor corroboration to support a diagnosis of PTSD resulting from military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's PTSD warrants a 70 percent evaluation, reflecting significant impairment in social and occupational functioning.

The veteran's claims for PTSD, skin disorder, bilateral hip, knee, and ankle disorders are all granted as they may be related to undiagnosed illnesses experienced during service in the Southwest Asia theater of operations.

The VA has denied the veteran's claim for an increased rating for his PTSD, currently rated at 50 percent. The evidence does not support a higher rating based on the symptoms and functional impairment described.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim of service connection for PTSD. The veteran's diagnosis of PTSD is well grounded, as there is competent medical evidence linking his current condition to his military service in Vietnam.

The veteran's PTSD disability increased to a 70% rating effective July 17, 1998. The RO also granted TDIU effective July 17, 1998.

The Board dismissed the appeal of the claim for service connection for PTSD due to lack of a justiciable case or controversy.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient information provided by the veteran regarding in-service stressors. The RO is instructed to request additional details and forward them to USASCRUR for further investigation.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for PTSD, and the claim is well grounded. The veteran's exposure to a stressor during his active duty service in Vietnam must be verified.

The Board has granted a 70 percent evaluation for post-traumatic stress disorder, effective from August 21, 1995. The veteran's claim for TDIU remains pending.

The Board found that the veteran did not have a post-traumatic stress disorder and there was no evidence linking his current psychiatric disability to his active military service. Therefore, the claim for service connection is denied.

The veteran's claim for an original rating of 50 percent for PTSD, effective from October 27, 1998, was denied by the RO.

The veteran has been diagnosed with PTSD and the evidence supports that this condition is related to his service in Vietnam. The Board finds that the legal criteria for an award of service connection for PTSD have been met, thus granting the claim.