PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2007

The veteran's PTSD resulted in occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas, including work, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood from January 27, 2004 forward. The criteria for a higher evaluation were not met.

The veteran's PTSD was rated at 50 percent prior to April 14, 2004, due to occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity.

The Board has ordered additional development to be completed, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA psychiatric examination. The case will be remanded for further action.

The Board found that the veteran's claimed in-service stressors have not been corroborated, and thus denied his claim for service connection for PTSD.

The Board found that the veteran does not have a diagnosed disability of PTSD and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that there is no current diagnosis of PTSD, and thus service connection for PTSD cannot be established.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for his total rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to PTSD, finding that the criteria for a TDIU rating under VA regulations were not met prior to December 10, 2002.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of PTSD, finding that the June 2000 denial was final and that no new and material evidence had been submitted to reopen the claim within one year of the original denial.

The Board found no evidence of PTSD or a bilateral leg condition, residuals of frostbite, incurred during service and denied both claims.

The veteran's appeal for an increased disability rating for his service-connected PTSD has been granted, with a current evaluation of 30 percent.

The Board has denied service connection for tinea pedis, but the claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss, diabetes mellitus, and PTSD are remanded due to insufficient evidence.

The VA determined that the veteran's PTSD does not warrant a higher evaluation as it only causes occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks.

The veteran's PTSD symptoms include sleeping problems, flashbacks, intrusive thoughts, nightmares, decreased attention and concentration, decreased socialization, a depressed mood, an avoidance reaction, and irritability. The VA has determined that the current 50 percent rating for PTSD is appropriate.

The Board found that the veteran's claimed stressors, while possibly related to his PTSD, were not verified and thus did not meet the criteria for service connection.

The veteran's claim for a higher rating for PTSD is being remanded due to the need for additional examination and consideration of new evidence.

The veteran's claim for PTSD was denied as there is no evidence of a current diagnosis.,Claims for loss of night vision, tendonitis, and joint pain were denied due to lack of medical evidence showing the presence or continuity of these conditions since service.

The Board has found that the veteran currently has PTSD and a competent opinion from a psychiatrist linked this current disorder to a claimed in-service non-combat stressor. The evidence is at least in relative equipoise with respect to whether the claimed in-service stressor occurred, thus granting service connection for PTSD.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for further evaluation and development due to the need for updated medical records, employment information, and a VA psychiatric examination.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, an eye disability (claimed as poor eyesight), a back and hip disability (back pain), and a skin disorder due to Agent Orange exposure. The reasons include insufficient evidence of in-service stressors for PTSD and lack of verifiable events for other conditions.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluation of PTSD and TDIU due to service-connected disability, finding that her condition did not warrant a rating in excess of 30 percent or meet the criteria for a TDIU.