PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2006

The Board has granted the veteran's claims for service connection for sleep apnea and PTSD, finding that these conditions are related to his military service. The increased rating claim for hypertensive cardiovascular disease and the compensable rating claim for prostatitis remain pending.

The Board has determined that the appellant's PTSD disability, along with his ethanol dependence and depressive disorder, results in total occupational and social impairment. Therefore, a 100 percent rating is granted for the appellant's PTSD.

The veteran has been diagnosed with PTSD, but there is no credible evidence of the claimed in-service stressors. As a result, service connection for PTSD cannot be established.

The Board has determined that the veteran's PTSD primarily results in suicidal ideations, depression, increased inability to function independently and concentrate, occasional olfactory and visual hallucinations, nightmares, flashbacks, extreme difficulties sleeping, feelings of anger and rage, anxiety, poor relationships with others, and social isolation with a strong preference to be alone. This has resulted in moderate to severe but less than total social and occupational impairment, warranting a 70 percent disability rating.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination and obtaining recent medical records. The issues of entitlement to an increased rating for PTSD and service connection for paroxysmal ventricular tachycardia are pending.

The veteran is granted service connection for PTSD, but denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD as there was no verified non-combat stressor and his statements were not corroborated by evidence.

The veteran's PTSD has been shown to be productive of no more than occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity, warranting a 50 percent evaluation.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD should be remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding the occurrence of in-service stressors and a need for further psychiatric evaluation.

The Board found that the veteran's claim for service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder was not supported by evidence of a verified in-service stressor, and thus denied the claim.

The Board has granted the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and denied his claims for service connection for right ankle and knee disorders. The claim to reopen a previously denied claim of service connection for residuals of injuries of the head and neck is also granted.

The veteran's claim of service connection for PTSD is granted as he has a verified combat stressor and the diagnosis was made based on that service stressor.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and an acquired psychiatric disorder, other than PTSD, cannot be granted as there is no credible evidence of a verified in-service stressor or any current diagnosed psychiatric disability related to service.

The veteran's appeal has been withdrawn prior to the Board making a decision.

The Board has remanded the case to the RO for further development due to a failure to comply with the duty to assist in obtaining records from the United States Department of State.

The Board found that the veteran abandoned his February 1988 claim for service connection due to failure to respond to requests for evidence and failure to report for a VA psychiatric examination. The effective date of November 23, 2001 was granted based on this finding.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD and the reopening of a claim for back disability. The heart disorder and tuberculosis claims were also denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 70 percent for his service-connected PTSD, finding that a higher rating was not warranted.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining verification of in-service stressors and providing a VA psychiatric examination to determine if PTSD is present.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have post-traumatic stress disorder attributable to service and therefore denied his claim for service connection.