PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2002

The veteran's PTSD is rated at the highest possible level, and his bilateral foot disability and hemorrhoids are each rated appropriately based on their severity.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD due to a lack of credible evidence supporting the occurrence of the claimed in-service stressful experiences, and thus concluded that the criteria for service connection have not been met.

The veteran's PTSD is rated at 10 percent, and he was granted an effective date of June 7, 2001 for the grant of service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus based on clear and unmistakable error.

The veteran's claim for service connection for post-traumatic stress disorder has been dismissed due to the death of the veteran during the appeal process.

The VA determined that the veteran's PTSD does not warrant a higher rating, as his symptoms do not meet the criteria for a disability rating greater than 30 percent.

The veteran's claims for service connection were granted, but the ratings assigned are noncompensable or 10 percent. The cardiovascular disability claim was denied as not proximately due to a service-connected condition.

The Board denied service connection for sinusitis and granted a 30 percent rating for cervical spine injury with degenerative changes. The initial 30 percent evaluation assigned for PTSD prior to July 22, 1999 was upheld, but the veteran is now rated at 50 percent from that date onwards.

The Board has granted an initial 50 percent evaluation for PTSD since the grant of service connection, finding that the appellant's condition meets the criteria for such a rating due to severe social and industrial impairment.

The Board found no evidence to support the appellant's claims of service connection for a kidney condition or PTSD. The appellant's kidney disorder is presumed congenital, and there was no indication that it was aggravated by military service. His claimed PTSD was not substantiated.

The Board has determined that the veteran engaged in combat with the enemy during service and has provided sufficient evidence to establish PTSD as incurred in service. As such, service connection for PTSD is granted.

The Board has remanded the case due to new evidence received after a supplemental statement of the case (SSOC) was issued, and the RO did not consider this evidence in continuing to deny the claim. The veteran's service connection for PTSD is being remanded for further development.

The veteran's PTSD is shown to be productive of occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks, due to symptoms such as depressed mood, anxiety, chronic sleep impairment, and memory loss. The Board finds that the criteria for an initial evaluation of 30 percent for the veteran's PTSD have been met.

The VA determined that the veteran's claimed PTSD is not related to his military service and denied his claim.

The veteran is seeking an earlier effective date for the initial 30 percent rating assigned for PTSD, but the Board finds no legal basis to grant this request as the July 1999 rating decision assigning the effective date of October 21, 1998 is final.

The veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent since June 13, 2002. The RO granted TDIU effective June 13, 2002. There was no evidence of service connection for the lumbar spine condition or thoracic spine condition prior to these decisions.

The veteran is found to have PTSD due to his experiences in service, and this condition has been granted as service-connected.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD due to a lack of credible and persuasive supporting evidence verifying her claimed in-service stressor.

The appellant's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a Board hearing via videoconference. The issues of service connection for bilateral knee disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder are still under review.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of service connection for PTSD, finding that the most recent claim was received on February 14, 1994.

The VA has denied the veteran's claim for an increased rating of his PTSD, finding that it produces no more than some occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity.