PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2001

The Board has granted the veteran's claim for service connection for post-traumatic stress disorder, finding that it is as likely as not related to his in-service experiences.

The Board has determined that the veteran's PTSD warrants a 100 percent disability rating, effective from April 28, 1990.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and adjudication due to deficiencies in the current evidence.

The veteran is not entitled to an effective date earlier than August 9, 1993 for a total schedular rating for PTSD.

The veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was denied initially, but the Board has vacated this decision due to a failure to associate relevant evidence with the claims file.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss in the right ear, tinnitus, PTSD, anxiety disorder, and a chronic disorder characterized by multiple joint pain, arthralgia, left leg limp, and left leg cramps secondary to undiagnosed illness. The appeals were not about service connection at all.

The Board has determined that the veteran did not file timely substantive appeals for his claims of entitlement to an evaluation in excess of 70 percent for PTSD and entitlement to a TDIU. As such, the Board lacks jurisdiction to consider these issues.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for PTSD and a permanent and total rating for pension purposes require additional development to verify specific in-service stressful events.

The Board has determined that the veteran's PTSD warrants a 100 percent evaluation, resolving all doubt in his favor.

The veteran's service-connected PTSD is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board finds that this rating adequately reflects his symptoms and impairment.

The veteran's psychiatric disability, specifically dysthymia and PTSD, has resulted in total occupational and social impairment. The Board has determined that a 100 percent schedular evaluation is warranted.

The VA determined that the veteran does not have a current disability of PTSD, and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The veteran's claims for service connection have been granted, and he is currently receiving a 10 percent evaluation for each condition. The right knee injury and PTSD are rated at 10 percent.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his service-connected disabilities were denied. His bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus do not meet the criteria for a compensable evaluation, while other conditions are rated as noncompensably disabling.

The VA determined that the veteran's PTSD disability rating remains at 30 percent, with no evidence of impairment warranting a higher rating.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD. The veteran contends he has PTSD as a result of service in Vietnam, including witnessing a helicopter crash and feeling guilty about his role in missions.

The veteran's PTSD is productive of occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks due to his depressed mood, intrusive memories, nightmares, and chronic sleep impairment. However, the veteran does not have other symptoms that would warrant a higher rating.

The Board is unable to determine if the veteran's post-traumatic stress disorder is service-connected due to a lack of medical records and an incomplete review of his claims file. The case will be remanded for further development, including obtaining missing VA treatment records and verifying any claimed combat-related stressors.

The veteran's claim for service connection for a nervous disorder, to include PTSD is denied. The Board found that the preponderance of evidence did not support his claim due to lack of credible supporting evidence for the claimed in-service stressor.

The Board has granted a 100% evaluation for PTSD effective November 18, 1995. The veteran's claims of increased ratings for his duodenal ulcer disease and abdominal gunshot wound condition are moot due to the grant of a TDIU.