PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2005

The VA determined that the veteran's PTSD most nearly approximates occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity, warranting a 50 percent disability rating.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD should be remanded to allow for further development, including verification of his claimed in-service stressor and a psychiatric examination.

The Board found no credible supporting evidence of the claimed in-service stressors and concluded that PTSD was not incurred in or aggravated by the veteran's active duty service.

The veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death. The Board cannot proceed with the merits of the claim as he is no longer alive.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for post-traumatic stress disorder prior to March 1, 2005 and a current evaluation in excess of 50 percent for post-traumatic stress disorder.

The Board has found the veteran's statements concerning a sexual assault during her initial training to be credible. The medical evidence shows that she was diagnosed with PTSD and that this alleged sexual assault is among the stressors supporting the diagnosis.

The evidence does not support a finding of occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas, as required for an evaluation in excess of 50 percent for PTSD.

The veteran has been diagnosed with PTSD and the medical evidence supports a link between his PTSD symptoms and events during service. The Board finds that the stressors reported by the veteran are consistent with the circumstances of his service, thus supporting service connection for PTSD.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, as there is no evidence of a current disability or any link to service.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current kidney disability and denied his claim for service connection for a kidney disability as secondary to diabetes mellitus. The issue of PTSD is addressed in the REMAND section.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for chronic residuals of influenza, PTSD, bilateral hearing loss disability, and tinnitus. The Board found no evidence supporting these claims based on continuity of symptomatology or medical causation.

The veteran's claim for service connection for post-traumatic stress disorder has been dismissed due to the death of the veteran.

The veteran's claim for a higher disability rating for his service-connected PTSD is being remanded due to the need for additional evidence and an examination.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current diagnosis of PTSD, and his back, right ankle, left ankle, or pulmonary disorders are not shown to be related to events during active service. Therefore, these claims for service connection are denied.

The veteran seeks an increased rating for his service-connected PTSD, which is currently evaluated as 50 percent disabling. The Board believes that another VA psychiatric examination must be completed to properly differentiate between the symptomatology associated with the veteran's PTSD and that associated with his various nonservice-connected psychiatric disabilities.

The veteran's service-connected conditions do not meet the criteria for a certificate of eligibility for financial assistance in the purchase of an automobile and adaptive equipment or for adaptive equipment only.

The VA determined that the appellant did not develop PTSD as a result of his active duty for training and denied his claim.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for post-traumatic stress disorder due to a lack of corroborated in-service stressors and combat exposure.

The veteran's PTSD was increased to a 70 percent evaluation effective February 18, 2005. Prior to this date, the initial evaluation remained at 50 percent.

The Board has remanded the case due to conflicting evidence regarding the veteran's claimed PTSD, and a need for further examination and review of the stressor incident.