PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2005

The VA has determined that the veteran's service-connected PTSD warrants a 50 percent disability rating, which is the maximum available under current criteria.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient evidence regarding the occurrence of an in-service physical assault and its impact on the veteran's current psychiatric condition. The RO is instructed to obtain additional medical records, arrange for VA examinations, and provide the veteran with another opportunity to submit information and/or evidence.

The Board found that the veteran did not engage in combat with the enemy during his military service and there is no evidence of a verified stressor or stressors experienced during his brief period of service. Therefore, the claim for PTSD was denied as it cannot be established that the current diagnosis of PTSD is related to his military service.

The veteran's claims for PTSD and headaches due to a service-connected scar of the right eye were denied as there was no confirmed stressor in service for PTSD, and his scar did not cause or aggravate his headaches.

The veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of August 30, 1998 was granted and he is now entitled to a 50 percent rating for PTSD as of that date.

The veteran's PTSD is currently rated as 30 percent disabling, and the Board finds that this rating adequately reflects his current symptomatology.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for post-traumatic stress disorder, residuals of a neck injury, and malaria with a secondary gallbladder condition. The evidence did not support the veteran's assertions that he incurred these conditions during his military service.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for PTSD should be remanded due to incomplete information regarding claimed stressors and the need for further examination.

The veteran's PTSD is rated at 50% effective from the date of claim, and he is granted a higher evaluation for his PTSD.

The Board has granted service connection for a schizoaffective disorder and denied service connection for PTSD. The July 2002 VA psychiatric examination provided significant evidence supporting the claim for a schizoaffective disorder.

The Board found that the service-connected PTSD did not cause or contribute to the veteran's death. The medical evidence indicated that other conditions, such as hypertension, were more likely related to his death.

The veteran's PTSD was productive of occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity from October 12, 1999 to June 27, 2002. The VA assigned a 50 percent evaluation for this period.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD and assigned a 30 percent evaluation for anxiety disorder, effective from June 26, 2001.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the veteran's claim for service connection for Meniere's disease. The case is being remanded for further development, including a VA examination.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for further review of additional evidence submitted since the statement of the case. The issue remains in appellate status as a higher rating for service-connected PTSD is sought.

The Board has determined that the veteran's PTSD is related to his in-service combat experience and grants service connection for this condition.

The Board has granted a disability rating of 70 percent for PTSD with major depression, effective March 25, 2003. The veteran's PTSD was previously rated at 50 percent from May 24, 1999 to March 24, 2003.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and to schedule a Travel Board hearing. The veteran's claims of service connection for post-traumatic stress disorder, skin rash disability, and hepatitis C are still pending.

The Board denied service connection for a skin disorder, PTSD, and mild, obstructive, ventilatory impairment (bronchial asthma).,There is no current evidence of these conditions in service or post-service.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for PTSD and degenerative disc disease with spondylosis and chronic low back strain, as well as his claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability, were denied due to failure to attend scheduled VA examinations.