PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2004

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and diabetes mellitus due to potential exposure to herbicides in Korea. The veteran is asked to provide more specific information about his alleged stressors, including witnessing plastic bags filled with dead bodies floating down a river during service.

The veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and plantar fasciitis are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including verification of claimed stressors.

The veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of his service-connected PTSD is being remanded due to insufficient evidence from the date of claim in July 1997 forward. The case must be returned to the Board after compliance with all appellate procedures.

The Board has remanded the case due to inconsistencies in the veteran's service records and lack of verification regarding his claimed stressors. The veteran is requested to undergo a VA psychiatric examination to determine if he meets the criteria for PTSD.

The Board found that the veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, other than PTSD with depression, was not incurred in or aggravated by active service and denied his claim.

The Board granted an effective date of December 23, 1998 for a 100 percent rating for PTSD.

The veteran's PTSD was rated at 30 percent prior to October 27, 2003. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating during this period.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals found that the veteran's PTSD was not incurred in or aggravated by active service, as there were no confirmed stressors and the evidence did not show PTSD to have been caused or made worse by active military service.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development due to the poor quality of one cassette tape recording her testimony.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim of service connection for PTSD and found that new evidence supports a diagnosis of PTSD related to in-service stressors. The veteran is now entitled to service connection for PTSD.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim of service connection for PTSD due to new and material evidence, but the issue remains pending as it is being referred back to the RO for further development.

The Board found that the veteran does not currently have diabetes mellitus and denied service connection for this condition. The claim for an initial rating greater than 30 percent for PTSD was also denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete information regarding in-service stressors and potential combat involvement. The veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD will be reconsidered with additional development.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his claims, including obtaining records from military facilities and verifying stressor events.

The veteran's claim for higher ratings for PTSD and tinnitus was denied. The RO assigned a maximum schedular evaluation of 70 percent for PTSD, which is the highest available rating under the applicable diagnostic code. For tinnitus, the RO found that the veteran already received the maximum schedular evaluation (10 percent) and thus could not grant a higher rating based on the regular schedular standards.

The veteran's claims for an initial compensable rating and a higher rating for his service-connected right knee disability, as well as the reopening of his PTSD and back disability claims, were denied. The claim for service connection for a neck disability was not addressed in this decision.

The veteran's claim for service connection for post-traumatic stress disorder is being remanded due to the need for additional evidence regarding his claimed stressors. The temporary total rating for PTSD hospitalization and inpatient treatment from April 23, 2001 to May 23, 2001 remains under review.

The veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is granted. The Board finds that the veteran engaged in combat with the enemy and his lay testimony regarding the stressors he experienced during his service in Saudi Arabia is accepted as conclusive evidence of their occurrence.

The Board has granted an effective date of December 20, 2001 for the assignment of a 70 percent schedular rating for PTSD.

The Board has granted a disability rating of 50 percent for the veteran's PTSD, finding that it meets the criteria for this level of impairment.