PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2006

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining Social Security Administration records and in-service personnel records to verify stressors. A VA psychiatric examination is needed to determine whether PTSD was caused by service, and a VA examination of the bilateral plantar keratomas is required.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, PTSD, and a psychiatric disability other than PTSD. The decision found that there was no evidence of these conditions during or as a result of military service.

The veteran's asthma is found to have been incurred in service, and the claim for PTSD remains pending.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining SSA records and issuing a supplemental statement of the case (SSOC) citing to 38 C.F.R. § 3.304(f). The veteran's claim is pending as both service connection and reopening of PTSD claims are at issue.

The Board has determined that the evidence does not support a diagnosis of PTSD based on verified in-service stressors, and therefore service connection for PTSD is denied.

The veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent, which meets the criteria for a higher rating. However, he does not meet the criteria for a TDIU due to his nonservice-connected conditions and overall employment history.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for a travel board hearing before a Member of the Board at the RO in accordance with applicable procedures.

The veteran's service connection claim for eczema was denied. His cystic acne of the face, back, chest, shoulder and left leg is currently rated at 30%. The residuals of his injury to the right index finger are also rated at 10%.

The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate VCAA notice and incomplete development of evidence. The veteran's claim for PTSD will be reconsidered after proper notification and additional development.

The Board has determined that the veteran did not engage in combat with the enemy and there is no credible supporting evidence of the claimed in-service stressors. Therefore, service connection for PTSD cannot be granted.

The Board has determined that there is insufficient evidence to support the veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD due to unverified stressors. The case is being remanded to attempt verification of the claimed stressors and to provide a VA examination.

The veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 70 percent, and the RO has requested additional evidence to determine if a higher rating is warranted.

The veteran's PTSD was granted a 70% disability rating, effective from the date of the March 2004 rating decision. Service connection for ischemic heart disease and hiatal hernia with esophageal reflux were denied.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for PTSD and an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss, both on an accrued benefits basis. The claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death was also denied due to insufficient evidence linking any service-connected disability to his death.

The Board denied increased evaluations for PTSD and an earlier effective date for TDIU. The veteran's PTSD was found to meet the criteria for a 50% evaluation from May 17, 1999 to March 1, 2001, but not for a higher rating. For the period on and after July 1, 2001, the evidence did not show symptoms warranting an increased evaluation beyond 70%. The Board also denied entitlement to earlier effective date for TDIU.

The veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 70 percent for PTSD was granted, and the effective date for service connection was set at April 7, 2003.

The Board has determined that the veteran's PTSD is service-connected as a result of his experiences in Vietnam, resolving all doubts in favor of the veteran.

The Board has denied the veteran's request for an earlier effective date of June 1994, the date he filed his original service connection claim for PTSD. The Board found that there was no timely appeal of the March 1995 denial and thus no basis for an earlier effective date.

The Board has determined that the veteran's service-connected PTSD contributed to or aggravated his cardiovascular disease, and thus grants service connection for coronary artery disease with history of myocardial infarction.

The Board has remanded the case due to new theories of entitlement and the need for further development, including a VA examination.