PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2001

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD and assigned a 50 percent disability rating, effective March 17, 2001. The veteran's claim for an earlier effective date is pending.

The Board has reopened the claim of entitlement to service connection for PTSD and determined that new evidence supports this claim.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss and PTSD. The RO provided the veteran with VA medical, audiometric, and psychiatric examinations to assist in substantiating his claim.

The RO denied service connection for post-traumatic stress disorder in March 1993, and the veteran reopened his claim with new evidence. However, the Board found that there is no evidence of a current diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for dysthymia, an increased evaluation for his right ankle and neuropsychiatric disabilities, and earlier effective dates for grants of service connection.

The Board found that the veteran's psychiatric conditions were not incurred in or aggravated by his active military service and denied service connection for PTSD, bipolar affective disorder, and dysthymia. The issue of tinnitus was remanded but no decision has been made yet.

The veteran's PTSD and ischemic heart disease are granted service connection, while the right foot and right knee disabilities remain unresolved.

The Board has granted a 70 percent disability rating for post-traumatic stress disorder, the highest available under VA regulations. The other issues remain unchanged as they are not related to service connection.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD due to a lack of verified stressor events and insufficient medical evidence linking his current symptoms to any in-service trauma.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for PTSD and denied his claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus. The decision also reopened his previously denied claims for service connection for hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board has granted a 50 percent evaluation for PTSD from January 7, 1997 to the present. The veteran's claim for TDIU is also considered and granted.

The Board has remanded the case due to procedural issues and the need for additional development, including medical examinations.

The veteran's PTSD is found to be incurred in active service due to combat experiences in Vietnam.

The VA denied a rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD, finding that the veteran's symptoms did not meet criteria for higher ratings.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have PTSD caused by any event that occurred during his active military service and therefore, denied the claim for service connection.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD and Low Back Disorder due to lack of verified in-service stressors and insufficient evidence linking the current conditions to military service.

The veteran's service-connected psychiatric disability is rated at 30 percent, and he meets the criteria for special monthly pension based on need for regular aid and attendance.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine if the veteran engaged in combat and whether his claimed stressors actually occurred. The claim for service connection for PTSD remains denied, as does the claim for a skin disorder due to Agent Orange exposure.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of PTSD, finding that the earliest possible effective date is May 15, 1996.

The veteran's service-connected PTSD is manifested by sleep disturbances, nightmares, angry outbursts, fear of losing control, hypervigilance, exaggerated startle response, isolation from family and others, and intolerance of people. The disability picture more nearly approximates occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas.