PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2005

The Board found that the veteran did not file an earlier claim for service connection for PTSD or depression, and thus denied his request for an effective date earlier than March 7, 2001.

The Board has remanded the case due to a further duty to assist in obtaining relevant medical records, particularly from the Vet Center in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. The veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD remains pending.

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

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the veteran's claimed in-service stressors and lack of verification. The veteran is diagnosed with PTSD, but further development is needed to verify specific events that may have contributed to his condition.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and increased ratings for his right and left ankle disabilities, finding that there was no verified in-service stressor for PTSD and insufficient evidence linking the current disabilities to service. The veteran's hypertension is currently rated at 10 percent.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the veteran's claimed stressors and service connection. The veteran is advised to provide more specific details of his alleged stressors, including times, places, circumstances, frequency, and names of participants or witnesses.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for an enlarged prostate and PTSD. The decision found no evidence of a link between the conditions and service, including exposure to herbicides.

The Board has determined that it is at least as likely as not that the appellant's bilateral plantar fasciitis had its onset in service. The claim for service connection for plantar fasciitis is granted.

The Board found that the evidence does not support a diagnosis of PTSD and thus denied the veteran's claim for service connection.

The veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination to determine if he currently has PTSD and whether it is related to stressors experienced in Vietnam.

The Board has granted service connection for degenerative changes of the lumbar spine and assigned a rating, but denied increased ratings for PTSD and SFW residuals. The case is remanded to consider further development of these issues.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO due to additional evidence needing to be considered and for addressing a request to reopen a claim of service connection for low back disability. The issues include seeking an increased rating for PTSD, requesting a TDIU, and reopening a previously denied claim for low back disability.

The Board denied an earlier effective date for a 70 percent rating for PTSD, finding that the evidence did not support such a rating prior to January 17, 2003.

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

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD as there is no current diagnosis of PTSD in the record.

The veteran's PTSD was granted a 70 percent evaluation effective from August 12, 1988.,A total disability evaluation for compensation purposes on the basis of individual unemployability (TDIU) was granted effective from August 12, 1998.

The veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent disabling, and the Board has granted a rating of 50 percent for this condition. The issue of entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disability remains unresolved.

The Board found no evidence of a current diagnosis of PTSD and thus denied the veteran's claim for service connection.

The veteran's service-connected PTSD has been productive of no more than occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks.

The veteran's PTSD has been rated at 70 percent since August 30, 2002. The Board found that the symptoms have remained severe and have not met the criteria for a higher rating.