PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2008

The veteran's bilateral hearing loss was granted a 20 percent rating, but the claims for PTSD and headaches were denied.

The veteran is seeking service connection for PTSD, which the RO has remanded due to incomplete information and need for further development.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and tinnitus, as well as his claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability. The RO is instructed to provide proper notice under Dingess/Hartman v. Nicholson, conduct stressor verification if necessary, schedule appropriate VA examinations, and readjudicate the claims.

The veteran's PTSD has been rated at 70 percent since September 6, 2005. The symptoms include panic attacks, social isolation, and mood disturbances, but do not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board found that the veteran does not have PTSD due to his military service and that any current psychiatric conditions are not related to his service. The claim for service connection was denied.

The Board has remanded the case for further development to address the merits of the veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including bipolar disorder and PTSD.

The case is being remanded for further evidentiary development, including obtaining SSA records and other medical records.

The veteran's PTSD was characterized by occupational and social impairment, with deficiencies in most areas such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood. The VA granted a 70 percent rating for PTSD from September 30, 2001 to August 4, 2004.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have hypertension attributable to military service and finds no evidence of a nexus between PTSD and hypertension. The veteran's PTSD is currently rated as 70 percent disabling, but there is no basis for an increased rating.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for further examination and development of his claims, including a review of VA outpatient treatment records.

The veteran's death was not caused by a service-connected disability. The veteran did not meet the criteria for DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 as he had no continuous total rating for ten years prior to his death.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been presented to reopen the claim of service connection for PTSD, allowing the veteran's original claim to be reconsidered.

The Board found that the appellant did not engage in combat with the enemy and his claimed Vietnam stressors have not been corroborated by service records or other credible, supporting evidence. Therefore, the appellant does not meet the criteria for establishing service connection for PTSD.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a verified inservice stressor and therefore cannot establish service connection for PTSD.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the veteran's claimed service connection for PTSD, which is based on alleged in-service sexual assault. The VA needs to obtain additional medical records and corroborative evidence from other sources.

The Board has determined that the veteran's PTSD warrants a schedular evaluation of 70 percent, effective from April 2002.

The veteran is found incompetent to handle VA benefits due to his mental incapacity caused by PTSD and other conditions, including alcohol dependence.

The VA denied the veteran's claims for an increased disability evaluation for PTSD and TDIU, finding that his service-connected PTSD does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for right axilla lipoma (claimed as liposarcoma) and PTSD, and denied his increased rating claim for Type II diabetes mellitus. The evaluation of hypertensive vascular disease from March 5, 2003, Osgood-Schlatter's disease of the right knee from March 5, 2004, and Osgood-Schlatter's disease of the left knee from March 5, 2004, have also been denied. The veteran's daughter has not been recognized as a helpless child.

The veteran's service-connected PTSD has resulted in occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity, warranting a 70 percent disability rating.