PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2001

The Board granted a 100% disability rating for PTSD effective from February 2, 2001. The veteran's claim was reopened and the effective date of this award is set as February 2, 2001.

The veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral defective hearing was denied as he did not meet the criteria for a recognized disability under VA regulations. The claims of service connection for low back disorder and PTSD are remanded due to the need for additional development.

The veteran's PTSD is granted as it has been medically linked to his service in Vietnam. The claim for bilateral hearing loss remains pending.

The Board has granted the veteran's claim for service connection for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), finding that new and material evidence had been submitted to reopen his previously denied claims.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of August 7, 1995 for a 100 percent rating for PTSD. The RO assigned this effective date based on the date of receipt of his VA Form 21-8940 application for increased compensation.

The veteran's service-connected PTSD has resulted in total social and occupational impairment, preventing him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for service connection for post-traumatic stress disorder due to a lack of conclusive diagnosis and treatment records.

The Board has granted a 50 percent evaluation for PTSD from May 1, 1997 to the present. The veteran's claim of entitlement to TDIU is moot due to the grant of a total schedular evaluation.

The veteran's appeal includes requests for increased ratings for PTSD and a laceration scar. The case is being remanded to the RO so that he may be scheduled for a Travel Board hearing, and also because there are issues regarding service connection for shoulder problems (tendonitis) which have not been addressed yet.

The veteran's service-connected PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent, and the Board has determined that a higher rating of 70 percent is warranted due to increased impairment in most areas.

The veteran's PTSD is currently evaluated as 10 percent disabling. The Board has determined that the criteria for a 30 percent rating have been met, with occasional anxiety attacks, bad dreams and difficulty sleeping.

The veteran's PTSD has been rated at 100 percent since December 8, 1998, due to total social and occupational impairment.

The veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for PTSD service connection was denied as the earliest possible effective date is October 31, 2001.

The Board found that the veteran did not meet the criteria for a total rating based on individual unemployability due to his service-connected PTSD, as the disability rating was less than 60% and he failed to show that he was unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a hearing before a member of the Board at the local Regional Office in Lincoln, Nebraska.

The VA determined that the veteran's PTSD does not warrant a disability rating higher than 30 percent.

The Board has granted a 100 percent evaluation for the veteran's PTSD, which is currently rated as 50 percent disabling.

The veteran's claims for initial compensable evaluations for scars of the lower lip and chin, napalm burn on the left index finger, and evaluation in excess of 50 percent for PTSD were denied. Service connection was granted for PTSD but not for the other conditions. The veteran also appealed for service connection for a bilateral shoulder condition and TDIU.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the veteran's claim of service connection for PTSD, which was previously denied in January 1998.

The Board has granted a rating of 100 percent for PTSD effective on and after November 7, 1996, based on severe symptomatology that rendered the veteran unemployable due to his service-connected PTSD.