PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2007

The Board has determined that further development is needed to verify the veteran's claimed stressors and determine if they occurred during his service. The case will be remanded for this purpose.

The veteran's multiple service-connected and nonservice-connected disabilities prevent him from achieving a vocational goal, thus feasibility of additional vocational rehabilitation training is denied.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a new VA psychiatric examination to assess the severity of his PTSD.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded to address the need for aid and attendance or housebound status, as well as secondary service connection claims. The case will be reviewed de novo after resolving these intertwined issues.

The Board has determined that the veteran's PTSD is service-connected, with the diagnosis being based on a current medical assessment and credible supporting evidence of an in-service stressor.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, anxiety disorder, PTSD, and benign prostatic hypertrophy. The decision also addressed whether new and material evidence had been submitted to reopen these claims.

The Board has determined that the veteran filed timely substantive appeals for service connection claims related to spinal trauma, brain trauma, PTSD, and asbestosis. The appeal is granted.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a separate disability manifested by special dietary needs, numbness, and limited physical abilities due to his service-connected GSW residuals. The claim for increased evaluations of the veteran's service-connected disabilities is also denied.

The veteran's PTSD causes significant impairment but does not result in severe occupational and social impairment. The initial rating of 30 percent is granted.

The veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is being remanded due to the need for further verification of stressor events and unit assignments.

The Board found no new and material evidence to reopen the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including mental retardation, dysthymia, passive-aggressive personality disorder, neurosis, nerves, and post-traumatic stress disorder. The veteran's current psychiatric problems were not shown to have been incurred in or related to service.

The VA has granted service connection for PTSD and assigned a 50 percent rating, effective from January 2003. The veteran's PTSD is currently rated as 70 percent disabling.

The veteran is seeking service connection for PTSD. The case has been remanded to obtain additional treatment records and a VA psychiatric examination.

The veteran's claim for an initial rating higher than 50 percent for PTSD is being remanded due to his request for a personal hearing before a Decision Review Officer (DRO).

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disability (claimed as PTSD) due to a lack of current disability meeting VA criteria. The evidence does not establish that these conditions are related to service.

The veteran's claims for an increased rating for his service-connected psychiatric disorder and a TDIU were denied as the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating or for a TDIU based on his service-connected conditions.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD, finding that there is no credible evidence of a verified stressor event in service and thus not meeting the criteria for establishing entitlement to service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and an increased disability rating for nephrolithiasis. The claim for PTSD was denied due to a lack of competent medical evidence linking any current disorder to his active service, while the claim for an earlier effective date for the nephrolithiasis rating is considered moot as no case or controversy remains.

The veteran's claims for service connection for anxiety neurosis, PTSD, and knee disabilities have been denied. The effective date of the grant of service connection for PTSD is October 20, 1994.

The veteran's claims for higher ratings for his right knee and elbow disabilities were denied. However, he was granted service connection for PTSD with a 10 percent initial rating retroactively effective from January 21, 2004, and prostate cancer with a 100 percent rating retroactively effective from April 12, 2005 to May 31, 2005.