PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2006

The veteran's PTSD was initially rated at 50 percent disabling effective March 14, 2001. The claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 50 percent and the request for a prior effective date were denied.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a VA psychiatric examination to assess PTSD and a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any lumbar spine disability. The RO will also consider entitlement to an initial increased rating for PTSD.

The Board found no competent medical evidence showing a diagnosis of PTSD, and thus denied the veteran's claim for service connection.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete development of evidence, including verification of in-service stressors and treatment records. The veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is pending.

The Board has remanded the case due to issues related to service connection for PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder, and schizoaffective disorder. The veteran's reported awards indicative of combat are being verified, as well as his claimed stressors.

The veteran's PTSD was initially rated at 30 percent and later increased to 50 percent. The appeal is granted for the initial rating of PTSD in excess of 30 percent from August 16, 1991, to July 13, 2000.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the veteran's claim for service connection of PTSD, which was previously denied in August 2001. The reopened claim is now considered on its merits.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for PTSD and schizophrenia, finding no new and material evidence to reopen the PTSD claim and concluding that his current schizophrenia is not causally related to his military service.

The veteran's claim for a TDIU, effective on and after November 19, 1997, is dismissed as moot because he was already receiving a 100% schedular rating for his service-connected PTSD.

The veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is being remanded due to the need for a Travel Board hearing.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection of a heart disorder and increased disability ratings for PTSD with panic attacks and dysthymia. The decision found no evidence linking the heart disorder to his service-connected psychiatric condition, and concluded that the current evaluations were appropriate.

The Board found that the veteran's claims for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus were not substantiated by evidence of a verified in-service stressor or other connection to service.

The Board found that the veteran did not have a current diagnosis of PTSD in accordance with DSM-IV at the time of his death, and there was no credible supporting evidence for any claimed in-service stressor. Therefore, service connection for PTSD could not be established.

The Board has ordered additional development to determine if the veteran's PTSD is related to service, including verifying in-service stressors and conducting a VA psychiatric examination.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an effective date prior to May 19, 1989 for the grant of service connection for PTSD. The veteran did not meet all eligibility criteria for the liberalized benefit on April 11, 1980, when the regulatory amendment adding the diagnostic code for PTSD was effective.

The Board found that there is no verified stressor to support the veteran's diagnosis of PTSD, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board denied an increased rating for the veteran's right wrist disability and found that his Notice of Disagreement with respect to service connection for PTSD was untimely filed.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining updated medical records and scheduling a psychiatric examination to determine if the veteran meets the criteria for service connection of PTSD.

The Board has determined that the veteran's PTSD is service-connected as it was incurred during his active duty in Vietnam.

The veteran's claims for increased ratings for low back strain and PTSD were denied. The RO also determined that the effective date for TDIU benefits was February 11, 1997, which is when his PTSD rating was raised to 70 percent. The veteran's CUE claims regarding the November 1991 rating decision denying a higher PTSD rating were also denied.