PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2003

The veteran's death was not caused by his service-connected disabilities, and he should have received a total rating due to unemployability for a period of 10 or more years immediately preceding his death.

The Board has granted a 100 percent rating for PTSD from July 8, 1997, and the veteran's service-connected PTSD is manifested by a demonstrable inability to obtain or retain employment.

The Board found that the veteran's acquired psychiatric conditions, including PTSD and depression, were not incurred in or aggravated by military service due to lack of verified stressors.

The Board found that the veteran's death was not caused by any service-connected disability, and thus denied both his claim for service connection for the cause of his death and his DIC claim under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318.

The Board has ordered further development due to the need for additional evidence. The case is now being sent back to the RO for the requested development, including obtaining copies of Deck Logs from the USS CONFLICT (MSO-426) and then reviewing the record again.

The VA determined that the veteran's PTSD was incurred in active service and granted his claim.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed in-service sexual assaults have not been verified, and therefore, service connection for PTSD cannot be granted.

The Board found that the veteran did not submit a timely substantive appeal of the denial of his claim for service connection for PTSD, and thus dismissed the appeal.

The Board has determined that the appellant's PTSD warrants a 70 percent disability rating, effective from May 30, 2000.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the previously denied claims of service connection for a heart disorder and PTSD. The case is being remanded for additional development.

The Board has granted a 70 percent rating for post-traumatic stress disorder, effective April 17, 2001.

The VA denied the veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD, finding that there is no current diagnosis of PTSD and thus nothing to connect to his military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's PTSD warrants a 70 percent disability rating, reflecting occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas due to symptoms such as suicidal ideation, near continuous panic or depression affecting function, impaired impulse control, difficulty adapting to stressful circumstances, and an inability to establish effective relationships.

The Board found that the veteran did not engage in combat with the enemy, and there is no corroborative evidence to substantiate his claimed in-service stressor. As a result, service connection for PTSD was denied.

The veteran's post-traumatic stress disorder is related to his military service in Vietnam, and the Board has granted service connection for this condition.

The veteran's PTSD was manifested primarily by depression, anxiety, panic episodes, recollections of events during World War II, and other symptoms that rendered him demonstrably unable to obtain or retain gainful employment from August 1995 to December 1999. The Board found the criteria for a total rating under Diagnostic Code 9411 were met.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for PTSD from 30 percent disabling is being remanded due to the need for VCAA compliance and a more current examination.

The veteran seeks service connection for PTSD. The RO has attempted to secure the veteran's 201 file without success and has verified his claimed stressors, including exposure to combat situations as a Field Team Leader of the 525th Military Intelligence Detachment where he was required to perform intelligence collection requirements in battlefield situations that exposed him to traumatizing events; and the killing of two men that he was responsible for. The veteran's failure to report for the scheduled VA PTSD examination is without explanation, and the RO must ensure adequate notification and consider whether it should be rated based on the evidence of record under 38 C.F.R. § 3.655 (b).

The veteran's PTSD was rated at 50 percent from February 17, 1995 to October 30, 1995 and increased to 70 percent effective October 31, 1995. The effective date for the TDIU award is set as of October 31, 1995.

The VA has granted service connection for PTSD and assigned a 70 percent disability rating, effective September 1998. The veteran's current level of impairment does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.