PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2008

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to missing service medical records and the need to corroborate any alleged personal assault stressor events in service.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for post-traumatic stress disorder and major depression, finding that there was no credible supporting evidence of in-service stressors related to his experiences during service.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD with depression, and secondary service connection for memory loss and sleep disorder. Service connection for GERD and hypertension is not addressed in this decision.

The Board granted earlier effective dates of February 3, 1996 for the grant of service connection for PTSD, a 70 percent rating for service-connected anxiety disorder, and TDIU.,The veteran's claims were based on evidence showing an increase in psychiatric disability and his unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that the veteran's PTSD does not warrant a rating in excess of 30 percent, as his symptoms do not meet the criteria for higher ratings.

The VA denied the veteran's claim of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including depression and PTSD. The evidence did not establish that any current psychiatric condition is related to service.

The VA determined that the veteran's service-connected PTSD and diabetes mellitus do not prevent him from obtaining or retaining employment, thus denying his claim for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.

The veteran's post-traumatic stress disorder is currently rated at 30 percent, reflecting occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform tasks. The symptoms do not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Board denied the veteran's request for an earlier effective date of April 29, 2005 for the grant of service connection for PTSD. The claim was received on that date and there is no evidence prior to this date which can be construed as a claim for PTSD.

The Board has denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the veteran's death, finding that his service-connected PTSD did not contribute to causing his strokes and subsequent death from stroke.

The Board found that the veteran did not have PTSD and denied his claim for service connection.

The Board found that the veteran's bilateral hearing loss did not develop during service or due to in-service noise exposure and denied his claim for service connection. The claim for PTSD was also denied as there were no verified stressors.

The veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 30 percent for PTSD has been remanded due to the receipt of additional evidence. The TDIU claim remains pending.

The veteran's appeal for service connection and pension eligibility was denied. The Board found that the veteran did not meet the basic eligibility requirements for VA improved pension benefits due to his peacetime active service.

The veteran's claim for service connection for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been granted.

The Board has granted a 70 percent disability rating for PTSD effective prior to November 9, 2005. The veteran's symptoms have resulted in deficiencies in most areas of work and social functioning.

The Board found that the veteran's claimed conditions are not related to his military service and denied all claims for service connection.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and adjudication, including obtaining deck logs from the U.S.S. Saratoga (CV60) and stressor confirmation from the U.S. Army and JSRRC.

The veteran's appeal was dismissed as no justiciable case or controversy is before the Board at this time.

The Board has ordered the case back to the RO for further development, including obtaining information from the FBI regarding a reported 'fragging' incident in Vietnam. The veteran's claim of service connection for PTSD will be readjudicated based on all available evidence.