PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2007

The veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was denied because the medical evidence did not show that he had PTSD caused or aggravated by his military service.

The veteran is seeking service connection for PTSD. The VA has requested additional information and a psychiatric examination to determine if the veteran meets the criteria for this diagnosis based on his claimed stressors.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for PTSD and found that new and material evidence has been received. However, the claim remains denied as there is no verified in-service stressor or competent medical evidence linking any current psychiatric disability to service.

The veteran is unable to secure and maintain substantially gainful employment due to the severity of his service-connected disabilities, including PTSD and chronic pain.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD effective from February 16, 1993.

The Board denied the veteran's claims to reopen his service connection for PTSD and a right knee disorder, finding that no new and material evidence had been submitted.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to insufficient information regarding claimed stressors and potential service connection issues.

The veteran's appeal is about his ability to secure and follow a substantially gainful occupation due to service-connected disabilities. The RO has requested additional information from the veteran, including employment history and education details, and ordered VA examinations for audiological and psychiatric evaluations.

The veteran's claims for service connection for prostate cancer, post-traumatic stress disorder, and bronchial pneumonia were denied. The Board found no evidence of exposure to herbicide agents or combat duty that would support the presumption of service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for an earlier effective date and a higher evaluation for his service-connected chronic post-traumatic encephalopathy with PTSD, to include post-traumatic headaches. The appeal is dismissed.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a diagnosed condition of PTSD, and thus cannot establish service connection for this condition.

The veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for post-traumatic stress disorder is being remanded due to the failure to provide his representative with a copy of the claims file.

The veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for increased compensation due to dependency is denied. The RO was not obligated to begin paying additional benefits based solely on the information provided in his December 2000 and July 2001 claims, as he failed to submit updated marital status information within a year of notification.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss. The veteran was diagnosed with PTSD, but his claimed stressors have not been verified by JSRRC. His bilateral hearing loss disability is currently rated as noncompensable.

The Board has granted the veteran's petition to reopen his claim of service connection for PTSD, finding that new and material evidence has been submitted.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for peripheral neuropathy and PTSD. The decision on peripheral neuropathy was based on a lack of evidence linking it to service or herbicide exposure, while the PTSD claim was denied as new evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim.

The veteran's claims for increased PTSD evaluation and total disability rating due to service-connected disabilities are being remanded as the VA examinations scheduled were not conducted due to non-reporting. The RO must obtain notification letters, schedule a new examination, and readjudicate the claims.

The VA has determined that the veteran's PTSD does not warrant a rating higher than 50 percent, as his symptoms do not meet the criteria for a 70% disability rating.

Prior to July 26, 2004, the veteran's PTSD did not meet the criteria for a disability rating greater than 50 percent.,As of July 26, 2004, the veteran's PTSD met the criteria for a disability rating of 70 percent.

The veteran's claim that his retroactive benefits should have all been paid at the rate of monthly compensation in effect in 2003 is denied.