PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2005

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for PTSD, left knee disorder, and right knee disorder. The denial is based on a lack of credible evidence supporting the claimed in-service stressors.

The Board found that the cause of the veteran's death was not caused by, or substantially or materially contributed to by, a disability incurred in or aggravated by his active duty service. The preponderance of evidence did not support a finding that any of the listed conditions were related to the veteran's service.

The Board determined that the veteran was not competent for VA purposes due to his diagnosed conditions, including early dementia and anxiety disorder.

The veteran's claim for a disability rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD from May 17, 1999 to March 1, 2001 was denied. The claim for an increased rating for PTSD beginning July 1, 2001 and the request for an effective date prior to July 1, 2001 for TDIU were also denied.

The veteran's PTSD is found to be due to combat exposure during service, and the Board grants service connection for PTSD.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to verify the veteran's claimed in-service stressful experiences and determine if they are sufficient to support a diagnosis of PTSD. The case will be remanded for further action.

The veteran's service-connected PTSD is currently rated at 70 percent, reflecting significant occupational and social impairment.

The Board denied the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for PTSD, finding that his claimed stressors were not verified and he did not engage in combat with an enemy.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals has determined that the veteran does not have PTSD attributable to experiences during his active service and therefore denied the claim for service connection.

The Board found that the veteran did not engage in combat with the enemy and thus, his claimed stressors were not verified. The evidence does not support a diagnosis of PTSD related to any inservice stressor.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed chronic acquired psychiatric disability other than PTSD was not incurred in or aggravated by active service, and therefore denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has ordered the RO to verify appellant's claimed service stressors and reopen his claim for post-traumatic stress disorder. The case will be returned to the Board after further development.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD and has also granted an increased rating to 30 percent for the veteran's skin disability.

The veteran's PTSD was found to be service-connected and rated at 100% disabling, meeting the criteria for DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318.

The Board has reopened the claims of service connection for a psychiatric disorder other than post-traumatic stress disorder and metabolic myopathy due to PFK deficiency. The veteran's current cardiac pathology is attributed to non-service connected disabilities, which affects his claim for an increased evaluation for mitral valve prolapse since January 12, 1998.

The Board found that there is no evidence of a current acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, and denied the veteran's claims for service connection. The claim for an increased rating for acne of the face and scalp was also denied, as the medical evidence did not show that the condition warranted a higher rating than 30 percent. Regarding the earlier effective date for the 30 percent rating, the Board found that no competent medical evidence existed for the one-year period prior to October 19, 1998, which would have supported an earlier effective date.

The veteran's appeal is remanded for further development, including obtaining treatment reports from Dr. Paik and scheduling a VA psychiatric examination to assess the current severity of his PTSD.

The Board found that the veteran did not engage in combat with the enemy and thus, his PTSD is not service-connected. The stressors reported by the veteran were not verified as occurring during service.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his VA treatment records and for a new psychiatric examination to assess the severity of his PTSD.

The veteran was granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability effective May 27, 2003, the date of his claim for this benefit.