PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2000

The Board has granted service connection for tinnitus and denied the other issues on appeal.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for PTSD is well grounded and has been granted.

The veteran's service-connected PTSD is rated at the highest possible level (100%) due to severe social and industrial inadaptability, with no evidence of impairment from other conditions.

The Board denied the veteran's claim to reopen his service connection for PTSD, finding that new and material evidence had not been submitted. The April 1987 RO decision is considered final as the veteran did not appeal it.

The VA determined that the claim for service connection for PTSD is not well-grounded and denied it.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for a certificate of eligibility for financial assistance in the purchase of an automobile or other conveyance and basic entitlement to necessary adaptive equipment.

The veteran's PTSD is currently evaluated as 10 percent disabling. The Board has granted a 30 percent evaluation, finding that the symptoms of depression, anxiety, and intermittent panic attacks warrant this rating.

The veteran's claim for a higher evaluation of his PTSD was granted, with the current rating of 30% being maintained.

The Board has granted a 30 percent rating for the veteran's PTSD effective March 12, 1999.

The Board denied the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for PTSD, finding that his claim was not well-grounded.

The Board has found that the appellant's claim for service connection for PTSD is well grounded, and a VA examination was ordered to determine if the appellant meets the criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD. The case will be remanded for further development.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for further adjudication, including consideration of extraschedular entitlement and total rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disability. The case will be readjudicated under the appropriate rating criteria.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD in conjunction with the previously service-connected paranoid schizophrenia, and increased the disability rating from 50 to 100 percent, effective October 30, 1990. The attorney is eligible for payment of 20% of past-due benefits awarded the veteran.

The Board denied service connection for a skin rash, PTSD, and hypertension. The veteran's claim for hypertension was not well-grounded as he had high blood pressure at the time of discharge.

The Board found that new and material evidence had been presented to reopen the claim for PTSD, but denied service connection due to insufficient verification of claimed stressors.

The Board previously denied a rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD, finding that the evidence did not warrant an increased evaluation. The Court has now remanded the case to consider additional treatment records and determine if there are any unusual or exceptional factors warranting extraschedular consideration.

The veteran's PTSD was rated at 30 percent from December 22, 1994 to July 27, 1999 and increased to 50 percent effective July 28, 1999.

The Board has granted a rating of 100 percent for the veteran's posttraumatic stress disorder, which is the most favorable rating criteria in effect prior to November 7, 1996.

The veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of PTSD from 30 percent to in excess of 50 percent is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including a VA examination and review of all relevant medical records.

The veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of her service-connected PTSD was denied by the RO, as the evidence did not demonstrate that her PTSD caused deficiencies in most areas such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood.