PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2005

The Board of Veterans' Appeals has determined that the veteran does not have a diagnosed condition of PTSD, and therefore service connection for PTSD is denied.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD as there is no confirmed stressor event in service, and thus the diagnosis of PTSD cannot be linked to service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for PTSD and hypertension, as well as their resulting stroke. The claim for PTSD was not supported by credible corroborating evidence of a claimed stressor having actually occurred. The claim for hypertension was not related to an in-service disease or injury, including exposure to radar, or a service-connected disability.

The veteran's PTSD was found to be permanently and totally disabled after the appellant reached age 26, thus denying her eligibility for Dependents' Educational Assistance under Chapter 35 of Title 38.

The veteran's right eye injury with corneal scarring and retained glass is currently rated at 0 percent disabling.,The veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 30 percent disabling.

The VA determined that the veteran's PTSD does not warrant a higher evaluation, as it currently results in occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity.

The veteran's PTSD is currently rated at the highest possible evaluation of 100 percent, reflecting total occupational and social impairment.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and recurrent meningiomas, finding that there was insufficient evidence to support these claims.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including verifying an in-service stressor and scheduling a VA examination to determine the etiology of any psychiatric illness.

The veteran died in July 1996 due to a myocardial infarction. At the time of his death, he was service-connected for post-traumatic stress disorder and a healed fracture of the right mandible. The Board denied entitlement to service connection for the cause of death because there was no evidence that the death was caused by a service-connected disability.

The Board has remanded the case for further examination and evaluation to determine if the veteran meets the criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD, which is necessary to establish service connection.

The Board has granted a 100 percent rating for PTSD, which represents total occupational and social impairment due to symptoms such as grossly inappropriate behavior, persistent danger of hurting self or others, suicidal ideation, social isolation, significantly impaired impulse control, chronic anxiety, irritability, anger, intrusive thoughts, nightmares, avoidance of reminders of experiences during service, emotional numbing, hypervigilance, and enhanced startle response.

The veteran's claims for higher ratings for PTSD and chronic low back pain with spondylosis are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling VA examinations.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), right and left knee arthritis, a respiratory disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a lumbar spine disorder, a bilateral arm disorder, and a visual disorder.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for additional development, including allowing time for stressor verification and reviewing his claim for service connection for PTSD. The issues of whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen claims for arthritis of the lumbosacral spine, a ganglion cyst of the right wrist, and gout; and for increased ratings for hearing loss and diabetes mellitus are being remanded as well.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an increased rating for his PTSD, finding that it did not meet the criteria for a higher disability rating.

The Board denied reopening the claims for PTSD and athlete's foot, finding that no new and material evidence had been submitted to support these claims.

The Board has remanded the veteran's case for further development, including issuing a Statement of the Case on his claim for service connection for PTSD and readjudicating his TDIU claim.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for a 100 percent rating for PTSD, finding no evidence of total disability due to service-connected PTSD prior to January 31, 2001.

The VA has denied the veteran's claim for a higher disability rating for his service-connected PTSD, as it currently meets the criteria for a 50 percent rating.