PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2005

The VA has determined that the veteran's PTSD warrants a 50 percent evaluation, reflecting significant occupational and social impairment.

The Board denied the veteran's request to reopen his claim for service connection for PTSD, finding that new and material evidence had not been received.

The VA denied the appellant's claim for service connection for PTSD, finding that there was no evidence of a verified stressor event and thus no basis to grant service connection.

The Board finds that the veteran's current low back disability and PTSD are not related to service. The evidence does not support a finding of in-service stressors for PTSD, and there is no medical evidence linking the current disabilities to service.

The VA has determined that the veteran's PTSD does not warrant a rating in excess of 50 percent, as his symptoms do not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation.

The Board denied increased evaluations for PTSD, finding that the evidence did not support ratings higher than those assigned.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and vertigo due to a lack of confirmed in-service stressors and medical evidence linking these conditions to his military service.

The Board found that the veteran's PTSD did not originate in service and is not otherwise causally related to his military service.

The Board determined that the veteran's claimed in-service stressors were not verified and he did not have a substantiated diagnosis of PTSD related to any incident of military service.

The Board has granted the veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD, finding that his symptoms are related to combat experiences in Vietnam. The skin condition is also found to be service-connected due to exposure to Agent Orange. No new rating or effective date was assigned as this decision pertains solely to service connection.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for PTSD and granted service connection, finding that new evidence supports a diagnosis of PTSD linked to an in-service stressor.

The veteran's claims for PTSD and hypertension secondary to PTSD were denied as there is no confirmed diagnosis of PTSD, and the stressors are not verified.

The Board has granted a 100 percent evaluation for the veteran's service-connected PTSD, finding that the symptoms more nearly approximate persistent delusions or hallucinations, persistent danger of hurting himself, intermittent inability to perform activities of daily living, grossly inappropriate behavior, and gross impairment in thought processes or communications as manifest by hypervigilance, exaggerated startle response, persistent suicidal ideation, restricted affect and feelings of estrangement, nightmares, intrusive memories, and continuing worsening of symptoms despite psychotherapy and psychotropic medications with frequent episodes of decompensation.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining VA and private medical records, scheduling a VA psychiatric examination, and ensuring all necessary development is completed before readjudicating the claim.

The veteran's claim for service connection for coronary artery disease was denied as secondary to his service-connected Type II diabetes mellitus.,Service connection for Type II diabetes mellitus was granted with an effective date of July 20, 2001. The veteran requested a retroactive effective date but this was denied due to the one-year rule after the May 8, 2001 liberalizing regulation.,Service connection for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was granted with an effective date of October 22, 2002. The veteran requested a retroactive effective date but this was denied due to the one-year rule after the May 8, 2001 liberalizing regulation.

The veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected PTSD is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations for PTSD, bilateral depressed metatarsal arches with callosities, bilateral hearing loss, and scars from shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and back.

The Board has determined that the veteran's PTSD is manifested by irritability, outbursts of anger, some problems with memory, and difficulty dealing with others in both a work environment and a social setting. The criteria for an increased disability rating to 50 percent have been met.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development, including obtaining medical records and verifying stressors.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining service medical records and VA treatment records. The veteran's claims for service connection for stomach cancer and skin cancer, as well as an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD, are pending.