PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2006

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary to determine if the appellant engaged in combat and whether any claimed stressors occurred during service, which could affect his claim for PTSD.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder, and therefore service connection for this condition is denied.

The Board has remanded the issues of entitlement to service connection for hearing loss and PTSD due to new evidence received since the last decision in August 2004. A new C&P examination is needed for both conditions.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and adjudication of both the TDIU claim and the increased rating claim for PTSD. The veteran's PTSD symptoms, including social impairment, will be evaluated by a psychiatrist to determine its impact on his employability.

The Board has vacated the February 2005 decision and denied an effective date earlier than June 22, 1987 for the grant of service connection for PTSD. The veteran's claim is not entitled to an earlier effective date.

The Board finds that the veteran does not have a current diagnosis of PTSD and there is no evidence linking his current diagnoses to service or any service-connected disability. Therefore, the claims for PTSD, back disorder, and heart disorder are denied.

The Board denied reopening the veteran's claim for service connection for a gastrointestinal disorder, found no new and material evidence to support it. The Board also denied service connection for pes planus of the right foot and PTSD.

The Board has determined that the cause of the veteran's death is due to acute fluorocarbon intoxication, but it is unclear whether this was a service-connected condition. The appeal is remanded for further development.

The veteran's diabetes mellitus is currently rated at 10 percent, and his PTSD is rated at 30 percent. Both conditions are evaluated based on their direct service connection without any presumption or secondary basis.

The Board has determined that the veteran's PTSD more nearly approximates total impairment, warranting a 100 percent disability rating.

The veteran's claims for increased evaluations for coronary artery disease and PTSD were denied as the evidence did not meet the criteria for higher ratings under the applicable rating schedule.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) due to his in-service experiences and therefore, service connection for PTSD is denied.

The veteran's appeal involves a dispute over increased ratings for migraine headaches and PTSD. The RO has granted an initial rating of 10 percent for the service-connected PTSD, effective October 31, 1994, but denied an increase to 70 percent prior to August 10, 2005. For migraine headaches, a 10 percent rating was initially assigned in 1995 and increased to 30 percent as of August 17, 2005.

The Board found that the veteran had a pre-existing personality disorder in service and no superimposed acquired pathology, including PTSD. Therefore, the claim of service connection for a psychiatric condition, including PTSD, was denied.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation, and the Board finds that his claim for TDIU is granted.

The Board has reopened the veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including a left knee disorder and PTSD. The rating of 10 percent for tinnitus remains unchanged.

The Board has remanded the case to the RO for additional development, including verifying the veteran's claimed in-service stressors and obtaining information from Social Security Administration (SSA) regarding his disability benefits. The veteran is also required to provide more detailed statements of his alleged service stressors.

The veteran's PTSD was initially rated at 10 percent from March 4, 1998 to September 23, 1998. The rating was increased to 30 percent effective September 24, 1998 and further to 70 percent effective July 7, 2005.

The Board has determined that the veteran meets the criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD and that her symptoms are linked to an in-service sexual assault, granting service connection for PTSD.

The Board finds that the veteran does not have a back disability attributable to his period of active military service and denies the claim for service connection. The issue regarding PTSD is deferred pending completion of additional development.