PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2006

The Board has ordered additional development to verify the veteran's claimed in-service stressors and determine if he meets the criteria for service connection for PTSD.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of January 9, 1995 for a 100 percent rating for PTSD, finding that as the law and not evidence is dispositive, he has no legal entitlement to such an earlier effective date.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for various conditions, including coronary artery disease, kidney disorder, incontinence, prostate enlargement (claimed as prostate cancer), arthritis of multiple joints and the spine, bilateral hearing loss, bilateral tinnitus, and post-traumatic stress disorder. The decision found no evidence of these conditions during active duty or continuity of symptomatology thereafter.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and readjudication, including scheduling a videoconference hearing.

The Board has granted service connection for post-traumatic stress disorder and denied service connection for a skin disability.

The Board found that the veteran did not engage in combat with the enemy during service and could not verify his claimed in-service stressors. Therefore, the claim for service connection for PTSD was denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to the veteran's failure to appear for a scheduled videoconference hearing and requests that it be rescheduled at the St. Louis RO.

The Board denied the veteran's request to reopen his claim for service connection of post-traumatic stress disorder due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, Hepatitis C, and a growth on the left side of the neck. The evidence did not support these claims.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim of service connection for PTSD due to new and material evidence. However, the claim remains denied as there is no credible supporting evidence that the in-service stressors occurred.

The veteran's PTSD symptoms have been rated at 30 percent since the initial grant of service connection, with no change in rating prior to May 6, 2004. Since then, his condition has warranted a higher rating.

The VA has determined that the veteran's PTSD currently meets a 50 percent disability rating, reflecting moderate impairment in social and occupational functioning.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for PTSD due to insufficient evidence and need for further development. The claim will be reviewed again after obtaining additional records, including deck logs from his military ship and treatment records from a VA medical center.

The veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a VA examination and additional medical records, as his service-connected PTSD may have worsened since his last VA examination.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have PTSD as a result of service and denied his claim for service connection.

The veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for PTSD was initially denied due to lack of a diagnosed condition and unverified stressors. The Board has ordered further attempts to verify the existence of the veteran's reported stressors.

The Board has remanded the case due to unverified stressors and a need for further psychiatric examination.

The Board has determined that the veteran is not competent for VA purposes due to his mental incapacity, including PTSD and alcohol dependence.

The Board found that the veteran's PTSD did not improve to a degree warranting a higher rating, and thus denied the reduction from 70 percent to 50 percent.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining medical records and arranging a VA examination to determine if the veteran meets the criteria for diagnosing PTSD and whether it is related to service.