PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2004

The veteran's PTSD with depression is rated at 100 percent, his loss of vision in the left eye is rated at 40 percent, and his perforated left eardrum with hearing loss is rated at zero percent.

The veteran is seeking service connection for PTSD, but the case has been remanded due to need for additional development of evidence.

The VA granted a 50 percent evaluation for PTSD effective April 1, 2002. The appellant's symptoms included poor impulse control and social impairment.

The veteran is seeking an increased rating for his service-connected PTSD and also wishes to determine if he can receive secondary service connection for bipolar disorder, which may affect the outcome of his PTSD claim. The case has been remanded for further development.

The veteran's PTSD with dysthymic disorder is currently rated at 50 percent, effective from August 2000. The RO has granted increased evaluations for other service-connected conditions but denied the requested increases for PTSD.

The VA has granted an initial disability rating of 50 percent for the veteran's PTSD, reflecting significant impairment in social and occupational functioning.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of recurrent dislocation of the left patella, pulmonary tuberculosis, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a low back disorder, visual problems, and a disease or disorder affecting general health. The claim for bilateral hearing loss was not addressed in this decision.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an earlier effective date and a higher initial rating for PTSD, finding that the earliest date of receipt by VA was May 17, 2001.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA examination to assess the severity of his PTSD and for issuance of a statement of the case regarding the effective date issue.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and examination to determine if the veteran's current psychiatric disabilities, including schizophrenia, depression, and PTSD, are related to his military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's PTSD was incurred in active service and grants the claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that new evidence was received to reopen the veteran's claim of PTSD, and as a result, service connection for PTSD is granted.

The VA has determined that the veteran's PTSD warrants a 70 percent rating, reflecting significant occupational and social impairment.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claim of service connection for PTSD needs further development, including obtaining medical records and verifying claimed stressors. The case is remanded to the RO for these actions.

The Board has granted an effective date of April 30, 1990 for the increased 100 percent rating for PTSD.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an increased rating for PTSD, finding no clear and unmistakable error in the September 1997 rating decision.

The Board denied the claim for service connection for cause of death, finding that while the veteran had a service-connected condition (post-traumatic stress disorder), it did not contribute to or cause his death from coronary artery disease.

The veteran's request for a videoconference hearing before the Board at the RO is granted. The VA must obtain his current VA clinical records and those from Center for Stress Recovery, which have not yet been associated with the claims file.

The veteran's claim for a higher rating due to incarceration is denied as the reduced rate of benefits for incarcerated veterans applies following the 61st day of incarceration.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim of service connection for PTSD, but denied his claims for stomach ulcers. The veteran remains non-eligible for a permanent and total disability rating for nonservice-connected pension purposes.