PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2006

The VA has determined that the veteran's service-connected disabilities do not prevent him from securing and maintaining substantially gainful employment.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development due to the need to verify a claimed stressor event.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including a review of stressor evidence and an examination by a board-certified psychiatrist to determine if PTSD is related to service.

The Board has remanded the case due to the veteran not receiving requested medical records and a 60-day extension for filing his appeal. The veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD remains under review.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD due to insufficient evidence of combat involvement and a lack of corroborated stressors in service, as well as conflicting medical opinions regarding whether he currently meets the criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD.

The Board has determined that the RO's decision was too narrow and should have attempted to verify the veteran's claimed stressor event, being shot down June 28, 1968 while assigned to the 25th Tactical Fighter Squadron in Vietnam. The case is REMANDED for further development.

The VA has granted an initial disability rating of 50% for PTSD, effective November 22, 2002. The veteran's symptoms include difficulty sleeping, nightmares, irritability, and avoidance of reminders of combat.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have PTSD or seizures as a result of service and denied both claims.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including PTSD, asbestos exposure, herbicide exposure (soft tissue sarcoma), tobacco-related disability, and pseudofolliculitis barbae. The appeal is not about service connection at all.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to procedural issues and incomplete notification.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining unit records and researching the veteran's exposure to stressors during his service in Vietnam. The claim will be reconsidered after these actions.

The veteran's PTSD and major depression prevented him from maintaining substantial gainful employment since December 21, 1995. An effective date of December 21, 1995 for a 100% evaluation for PTSD is granted.

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

The Board has determined that the veteran engaged in combat and his PTSD is linked to his service, specifically his time on a gun mount where he handled misfired shells. The Board finds that the statutory and regulatory criteria for entitlement to service connection for PTSD have been met.

The veteran's claim for increased ratings for PTSD and TDIU is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and a statement regarding his employment.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for headaches, TMJ (jaw disorder), PTSD, and a cervical spine disability. The appeals were based on new and material evidence.

The veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, residuals of facial injury including teeth and sinuses, and sinusitis have been denied. The Board found that the evidence did not establish a current diagnosis of PTSD related to service or any verified in-service stressor.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals denied the veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disability other than PTSD in January 1980. The RO subsequently denied the reopening of this claim in April 1983, finding that no new and material evidence had been received to support the claim.

The VA determined that the veteran's hepatitis C was not incurred in or aggravated by active service, and denied his claim. The Board also found insufficient evidence to establish a diagnosis of PTSD based on alleged combat stressors.

The Board has granted a 100 percent rating for PTSD effective from June 17, 2003, based on the veteran's total occupational and social impairment due to his service-connected PTSD.