PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2005

The veteran has been diagnosed with PTSD due to being sexually harassed during service, and the Board finds this claim valid.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD, undiagnosed illness manifested by nausea and vomiting, and undiagnosed illness manifested by fatigue due to lack of evidence supporting these claims.

The Board has ordered a remand due to insufficient evidence regarding the veteran's claimed in-service stressors and their connection to his PTSD. The case will be returned for further development of these issues.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development regarding verification of the veteran's stressors, specifically whether he experienced sniper fire while stationed at Lon Bien (Long Binh) from April 1967 to June 1967.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for Hepatitis C. The issue of service connection for PTSD is pending and will be addressed in a separate remand.

The veteran's service-connected PTSD is shown to be productive of a disability picture that more nearly approximates that of occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas, warranting an increased rating of 70 percent.

The veteran's claim for a compensable rating for the residuals of bladder cancer from February 1, 2001 to January 24, 2003 was granted. The initial evaluation following cessation of therapy for bladder cancer was found inadequate for rating purposes. A 30 percent evaluation is assigned for residuals of bladder cancer since May 2003.

The veteran's claim for a higher initial evaluation of PTSD is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining more recent treatment records and considering whether staged ratings are warranted.

The Board found that the January 1982 rating decision denying service connection for PTSD was not clearly and unmistakably erroneous, and thus denied a retroactive effective date prior to June 18, 1996.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for increased PTSD rating, service connection for a chronic pain condition of the low back and bilateral legs, and service connection for peripheral neuropathy. The veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 70 percent disabling.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service connection claims for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and recurrent tinnitus are denied due to a lack of supporting evidence.

The veteran's PTSD was rated as totally disabling for at least 8 years prior to his death, meeting the criteria for enhanced DIC benefits.

The Board found that the earliest date on which it was factually ascertainable that the veteran's PTSD was 70 percent disabling was September 1999, and thus denied an earlier effective date.

The veteran's PTSD symptoms, including suicidal ideation and difficulty adapting to stressful situations, have been rated at a 70 percent disability level.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining VA psychiatric treatment records and verifying service stressors. A VA psychiatric examination is also required to determine if PTSD was incurred during service.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of January 6, 2000 for the grant of service connection for PTSD. The evidence does not show any informal claim prior to this date.

The case is being remanded because the appellant's claim as of this writing is unadjudicated. It has been adjudicated only under a standard that does not apply, and VA has not ever considered the merits of her hypothetical theory of entitlement.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated as 100 percent disabling, the highest possible rating under VA guidelines.

The Board denied service connection for the claimed conditions, including cardiovascular disease due to undiagnosed illness and rhinitis. The effective date of the increased rating for residuals of tonsillectomy was not changed.

The veteran's claim for a higher rating for PTSD prior to May 2003 was denied. The RO assigned a 30 percent evaluation effective from January 1995, the date of his initial claim.