PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2008

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including notification of the need to provide evidence regarding his service-connected PTSD and scheduling a VA examination.

The Board found that the veteran did not meet the criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD related to service and denied his claim.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of PTSD is denied as there was no indication prior to August 8, 1995 that he wished to reopen his original claim.

The Board found that the veteran does not have post-traumatic stress disorder related to service, and thus denied his claim.

The Board denied the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for PTSD, finding that there was no verified in-service stressor related to his diagnosis.

The veteran's appeal for a higher rating for PTSD is being remanded due to the need for a new hearing before a Veterans Law Judge at his local regional office.

The veteran's PTSD did not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation from November 13, 2002, to March 29, 2005, and from June 1, 2005, to February 15, 2006.

The Board granted service connection for PTSD, finding that the veteran's claimed in-service stressors were corroborated and linked to his current psychological disability.

The Board has remanded the case for further development to verify the veteran's dates of service in Vietnam and to determine if he experienced an inservice stressor event that could lead to a finding of PTSD.

The Board has ordered the RO to obtain SSA records and VA treatment records from the Lowell VAMC. The claims for service connection will be readjudicated based on whether new and material evidence has been received.

The VA denied an evaluation in excess of 50 percent for the veteran's PTSD, finding that his condition is manifested by problems sleeping due to nightmares, impairment in short and long-term memory, some impairment in judgment, disturbance of mood including irritability, isolative behavior, restricted affect, difficulty concentrating, and subjective complaints of being paranoid. The GAF scores were 50.

The veteran's PTSD is rated at 50 percent disabling, which is the maximum available benefit. The RO has not assigned a higher evaluation for his bilateral high frequency sensorineural hearing loss or bilateral tinnitus.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for BPH, hypertension, osteoarthritis, and PTSD. The Board found that there was no evidence linking these conditions to service or herbicide exposure.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities and PTSD, finding no evidence to support these conditions.

The Board has determined that the veteran engaged in combat with the enemy during service and therefore, his PTSD is presumed to have been incurred due to combat. The veteran's current diagnosis of Restless Leg Syndrome is not supported by competent medical evidence and there is no direct or secondary service connection established. Service connection for PTSD is granted based on the presumption of herbicide exposure.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his PTSD, non-scarring residuals of shell fragment wounds of the left leg and foot, and shell fragment wound scars of the left leg and foot. The RO found that the current evaluations adequately reflected the severity of the disabilities.

The VA has granted service connection for PTSD and assigned a 70 percent evaluation, effective January 14, 2003. The veteran's claim for an increased rating remains pending.

The veteran is seeking service connection for PTSD, but the appeal is being remanded to verify a claimed in-service stressor.

The Board found that the veteran's reported in-service stressor could not be verified by service department records, and thus denied his claim for service connection for PTSD.

The veteran's claim for an effective date prior to April 15, 2003, for the grant of service connection for PTSD was denied as there is no legal basis for such a determination.