PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2003

The Board has granted the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for PTSD and evaluated it as 30 percent disabling, effective January 26, 1999. The veteran's PTSD is characterized by symptoms such as a depressed mood, anxiety, and chronic sleep impairment.

The VA denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including lower back disability, cervical spine degenerative joint disease, left foot swelling, PTSD, and irritable bowel syndrome and diverticulitis. The Board found that these conditions were not incurred or aggravated by service.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for PTSD and finds that new evidence supports a diagnosis of PTSD related to in-service stressors, warranting service connection.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for an increased disability rating for his service-connected PTSD, maintaining a current 30 percent rating.

The VA has determined that the veteran's PTSD warrants an initial evaluation of 50 percent, effective from June 30, 2000.

The Board has granted the veteran's claims for PTSD and secondary service connection for his right leg vascular disorder. The right leg vascular disorder was not present in service, nor is it linked to military service.

The Board found that the veteran does not have an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, attributable to military service or any incident of active duty. Therefore, service connection for these conditions was denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claim of service connection for PTSD, finding that there was no credible evidence to support the occurrence of the claimed in-service stressful events and thus failing to meet the second criterion (credible supporting evidence) required for service connection under 38 C.F.R. § 3.304(f).

The Board has determined that the veteran does not meet the criteria for service connection for PTSD and denied all issues related to increased disability ratings for various scars and wounds. The veteran's claims were based on direct service connection, but no specific exposure basis was provided.

The veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent, and the Board found that it does not meet the criteria for a higher rating. The other issues were denied as service connection was decided on the merits.

The Board found that the veteran's PTSD was not incurred or aggravated by active service, as his claimed in-service stressors could not be verified.

The veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is being remanded due to the lack of verification of a stressor. The VA needs to obtain unit records from Can Tho Army Airfield to verify if the veteran experienced the claimed in-service stressors.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a 50 percent rating for PTSD, finding that it is not factually ascertainable that PTSD increased in severity on any particular date within the year preceding the November 16, 1999 claim.

The Board finds that the veteran has PTSD and an undiagnosed illness, to include fever, malaise, muscle pain, loss of energy, lack of stamina, cough with shortness of breath, chest pain, and swollen glands of the neck. Service connection is granted for these conditions.

The veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 70 percent, effective from May 30, 2001. The VA determined that the disability causes significant occupational and social impairment.

The Board has ordered further development due to the need for additional evidence. The case is now being sent back to the RO for obtaining treatment records and verifying an in-service stressor related to the veteran's PTSD.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD, finding that it was decided on the merits without any presumption or new evidence.

The veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was denied because he did not provide sufficient information to verify his claimed stressors and there is no current evidence of a diagnosis of PTSD.

The Board has ordered further development in the veteran's case, including obtaining records of treatment and arranging for a VA examination to determine if the veteran requires aid and attendance due to service-connected disabilities. The veteran is also seeking higher special monthly compensation.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD, finding that the veteran's reported stressful events during his service in Grenada in October 1983 occurred and are linked to his current diagnosis of PTSD.