PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2001

The Board has reopened the claim of entitlement to service connection for PTSD based on new evidence submitted by the veteran, and it is now considered.

The veteran's service-connected PTSD is currently rated at 50% effective from October 12, 1994 through April 28, 1997. The rating reflects considerable social and industrial impairment.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD, finding that the veteran engaged in combat and his symptoms are related to his Vietnam service. Service connection for peripheral neuropathy is held in abeyance pending completion of development.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected PTSD is being remanded due to the need for additional medical examination and review of records.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an earlier effective date for a 70% evaluation of PTSD and his claim for service connection for hepatitis. The appeal regarding compensation benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1151 for hepatitis contracted by his spouse and son due to VA failure to inform him during treatment in November 1987 that he had hepatitis was also denied.

The Board has determined that a 50 percent evaluation is warranted for PTSD from December 27, 1994 to November 9, 1995.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim of service connection for PTSD. The veteran's claim is now considered on its merits.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the severity of the PTSD.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD and did not reopen the claim of service connection for lung cancer due to lack of new and material evidence.

The veteran's post-traumatic stress disorder is rated at a 70 percent evaluation since April 20, 1998.

The veteran's PTSD with alcohol and substance abuse is currently rated at 50 percent, but the Board finds that his symptoms do not warrant a higher rating.

The Board dismissed the appeal regarding the reduction in the veteran's PTSD rating and found that the issue of a total evaluation based on individual unemployability is moot due to the existing 100% schedular rating for PTSD. The claim for an increased rating for septal deviation was denied.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for PTSD, which was previously denied in 1982. The decision is based on a diagnosis of PTSD provided since September 1996.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD and chloracne as secondary to Agent Orange exposure, based on verified stressors during the veteran's service in Vietnam.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for PTSD, finding that the earliest possible effective date is January 28, 1993.

The Board has granted the veteran's claim for service connection for post-traumatic stress disorder, finding that it is a direct result of his military service.

The veteran's PTSD is currently manifested by occasional flashbacks and sleep disturbances, with a GAF score of 70. The RO has granted service connection for PTSD and assigned a 30 percent evaluation.

The Board has determined that the veteran's PTSD does not warrant a rating in excess of 30 percent, and his malaria is currently noncompensably disabling. The combined disability rating remains at 30 percent.

The veteran's service-connected PTSD is not shown to be so disabling as to render him unable to care for his daily personal needs or to protect himself from the hazards and dangers of daily living without the assistance from others, nor does it substantially confine him to his dwelling or its immediate premises. Therefore, special monthly compensation benefits based on the need for regular aid and attendance or at the housebound rate are denied.

The Board found that the veteran's PTSD did not result in total occupational and social impairment during the period from January 29, 1997, to October 31, 1997. The veteran was engaged in substantially gainful employment as an Independent Contractor with the United States Forest Service.