PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2003

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

The Board finds that the service-connected PTSD played a contributory role in producing or accelerating the veteran's death, and grants service connection for the cause of the veteran's death.

The veteran's initial grant of service connection for major depression was upheld, and a 70 percent evaluation for PTSD from September 2, 1998 to the present was granted.

The Board denied the veteran's request for an earlier effective date of October 23, 1992 for his service connection award of PTSD at a 100 percent disability rating.

The Board has determined that the veteran's PTSD and related conditions are service-connected, with the stressor being her in-service sexual assault.

The Board denied service connection for arthritis of the right knee and PTSD due to a lack of evidence linking these conditions to service, with the exception that the veteran's current right knee condition was attributed to aging rather than an inservice injury. Service connection for PTSD was also denied as there were no verified traumatic incidents in service.

The Board found that the appellant does not have PTSD related to his military service and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD and depression, finding that the veteran's symptoms are related to his experiences during his active duty in the Persian Gulf War.

The Board has determined that the veteran is unemployable due to PTSD symptoms, warranting a disability rating of 100 percent for PTSD before January 26, 2002 and from that date onwards.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for a personal hearing before a Veterans Law Judge at the Atlanta RO to address due process concerns.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for residuals of an injury, to include loss of a kidney and an incisional hernia, and PTSD. The evidence submitted since the July 1997 decision was found not to be new and material.

Since February 22, 1999, the veteran's service-connected PTSD has caused occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity due to symptoms such as flattened affect, occasional panic attacks, impaired judgment, disturbances of motivation and mood, and difficulty in establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships.

The Board has granted an initial evaluation of 50 percent for the veteran's service-connected PTSD, finding that his symptoms warrant this level of disability.

The Board has determined that the veteran meets the criteria for service connection for PTSD and migraines, having established a link between current symptoms and in-service stressors. The veteran's PTSD is linked to military sexual assault/rape, while her migraines are believed to have begun shortly after the incident.

The VA has granted a 50 percent evaluation for PTSD, effective from June 1998. The veteran's claim for service connection of a low back disorder is pending and will be addressed in a separate Board decision.

The veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 30 percent, which is the maximum schedular rating available. The Board found that his service-connected disabilities do not render him individually unemployable.

The Board found that the veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was denied as there is no medical diagnosis of PTSD and the evidence does not support a finding of in-service stressors.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD, finding that his claimed stressful experiences in service did not meet the criteria for establishing a diagnosis of PTSD and that there was insufficient evidence to corroborate these experiences.

The Board finds that the veteran is entitled to a grant of service connection for bilateral hearing loss, but requires further development with respect to his PTSD claim.

The veteran is seeking an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for PTSD. The case must be remanded to allow for additional development and consideration.