PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2008

The veteran claims service connection for PTSD, which she alleges is due to multiple episodes of in-service sexual assault. The RO has not provided the necessary notice and development as required by law.

The Board has determined that the veteran's skin disorders and PTSD were not incurred in or aggravated by his service, including exposure to herbicide agents. The claim for service connection is being remanded due to insufficient verification of alleged stressors.

The VA has granted service connection for PTSD and assigned a 50 percent rating, effective April 6, 2004. The veteran's PTSD is currently manifested by symptoms including depressed mood and anxiety.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a current disability of bilateral hearing loss, basal cell carcinoma, or PTSD to warrant service connection. The claim for each condition is denied.

The veteran's PTSD is rated at 50 percent disabling, effective from the date of the grant of service connection (March 31, 2005). The rating reflects moderate impairment in occupational and social functioning.

The veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional development, including a new VA examination and notification regarding increased rating claims as outlined by Vazquez-Flores v. Peake.

The Board has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD due to a lack of objective evidence corroborating his reported stressors and combat experience.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete evidence and procedural issues, including verifying the presence of alleged attackers during the claimed assault.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for a Travel Board hearing at the RO before a Veterans Law Judge.

The Board has determined that the veteran's schizophrenia is directly related to service and grants service connection for this condition. However, there is no current diagnosis of PTSD, so the claim for PTSD is denied.

The veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is being remanded due to the need for further development, including verification of stressors and Social Security disability benefits.

The veteran's service-connected PTSD has been manifested by symptoms including depressed mood, anxiety, irritability, anger, hopelessness, intrusive thoughts, hypervigilance, nightmares, flashbacks, sleep impairment, and mild memory loss. This results in occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks. The Board finds that the veteran's PTSD-related symptoms more closely approximate the criteria for a 30 percent evaluation.

The Board found that the veteran's PTSD was not incurred in service due to his own willful misconduct, resulting in a denial of the claim.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD, back disability, bronchitis, and liver disability due to lack of evidence supporting the veteran's claimed in-service stressors and failure to provide sufficient details regarding his alleged combat experiences. The claim for chloracne related to Agent Orange exposure is pending.

The veteran's claim for an increased evaluation for PTSD is being remanded due to the need for additional evidence and a new examination.

The Board found that the veteran's PTSD produces occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity, warranting a 50 percent disability rating. The evidence did not show more than moderate symptoms to support higher ratings.

The Board has remanded the case due to conflicting medical opinions and a need for further verification of an inservice stressor event. The veteran's claim will be reviewed again after these steps are completed.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have PTSD, arthritis of the cervical spine, or a perforated left tympanic membrane. The Board also found no evidence to support service connection for colon cancer.

The Board has determined that the veteran's PTSD warrants a 50 percent evaluation since January 19, 2004.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for post-traumatic stress disorder and peripheral neuropathy, finding no evidence of a link between these conditions and his military service.