PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2006

The Board found that the veteran does not have current diagnoses for his right and left foot disabilities. The claims of service connection for these conditions were denied as there is no evidence of a current disability or any link to service.

The Board has determined that the veteran had combat-related PTSD due to his Vietnam service and that it is at least as likely as not that the veteran's suicide was a result of his combat-related PTSD. The case will be remanded for further development.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD based on the veteran's exposure to stressors during military service off the coast of Vietnam. The issues of nicotine dependence and bronchitis, claimed as secondary to nicotine dependence, are remanded for further development.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and rosacea, finding no evidence of a current diagnosis or link to service.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities did not render him unable to secure or follow a substantial gainful occupation prior to December 1, 2000. Therefore, the claim for an earlier effective date is denied.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been presented to reopen the claim of service connection for a nervous condition, including PTSD. The veteran's reported stressor for PTSD was not verified due to lack of corroborative evidence.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for VCAA notice and further development of the claim.

The veteran is seeking service connection for various conditions claimed as secondary to his service-connected asthma. The Board has determined that a Statement of the Case must be issued on these issues.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete medical records and the need for a new VA psychiatric examination.

The Board has granted a 70 percent rating for PTSD and denied an increased evaluation for the right ankle disability.

The Board has determined that the veteran's PTSD warrants a 70 percent rating, effective from June 5, 2000.

The VA has determined that the veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and anxiety reaction, warrants a 30 percent disability rating but not higher. The evidence does not support an increase to a higher rating.

The Board denied an increased rating for PTSD and service connection for a left knee disability, finding that the veteran's symptoms were not severe enough to warrant higher ratings.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not meet the criteria for service connection for various conditions, including a back disorder, sleep disorder (due to PTSD), skin disorder, irritable bowel syndrome, and acid reflux disease. The preponderance of evidence is against these claims.

The veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent, and the Board denied an increased rating. The TDIU claim was also denied as the service-connected PTSD alone does not meet the criteria for a TDIU.

The veteran's claims for service connection for Agent Orange exposure and PTSD were denied, while his claim for an increased rating for burn scars was not addressed. The Board found that the veteran did not have PTSD and that there is no legal merit to his claim of service connection for Agent Orange exposure.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for reopening his previously denied claims of service connection for PTSD and depression, finding that the evidence submitted was not new and material.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for PTSD and granted it, finding that new evidence supports a diagnosis of PTSD linked to the veteran's in-service stressor.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining all current treatment records from the North Country VA mental health clinic and providing a VA psychiatric examination.

The VA has determined that the veteran's PTSD warrants a 30 percent rating, reflecting occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks.