PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2009

The Veteran's claims for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and a disability manifested by blisters on hands and feet were denied. The Board found no evidence of current disabilities related to service or secondary to herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional medical records and examinations.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him unfeasible for a vocational goal, and the requested home-based woodworking activity is not necessary to improve his independence in daily living.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for a psychiatric disability, bilateral hearing loss, and coronary artery disease were denied as there is no evidence of current disabilities or a relationship to service.

The Board has determined that the appellant's acquired psychiatric disorder, including depression, PTSD, anxiety, and borderline personality disorder, was not incurred in or aggravated by active military service.

The appellant withdrew his appeal for the claims of service connection for a psychiatric disorder, hearing loss, and right knee chondromalacia.

The VA denied the Veteran's application to reopen his claim for service connection for PTSD, stating that new and material evidence was not received.

The Board found that the Veteran did not engage in combat with the enemy and his claims for PTSD were denied as there was no credible supporting evidence of an in-service stressor sufficient to support a diagnosis of PTSD. The Veteran's service records do not reflect any specialized training or duty assignment as a Navy diver, which is required to establish service connection.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a VA examination to determine if the veteran's PTSD is related to service.

The Veteran's claims for PTSD, arthritis of the knees, ankles, elbows, and hands, and bilateral hearing loss were all denied. The Board found that there was insufficient evidence to establish service connection for PTSD due to lack of corroborated stressor events. For arthritis, no current diagnosis was provided in the record. For hearing loss, a compensable rating could not be assigned as the Veteran's hearing impairment did not meet the criteria for an exceptional pattern.

The Board is remanding the case to the RO for further development due to unavailability of records from the U.S. Department of State and National Archives and Records Administration.

The Veteran's appeal for higher disability ratings for PTSD prior to January 27, 2005 and from January 27, 2005 was denied.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining service personnel records and attempting to corroborate the Veteran's claimed in-service stressors. The appeal is now pending again with the RO/AMC.

The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased ratings were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of direct service connection for osteoporosis of the left knee, PTSD, or epidermophytosis. For the low back disability, the rating was within the applicable range. The right arm burns and mandibular condyle fracture had no compensable ratings as they were asymptomatic.

The case is being remanded for further development, including scheduling the Veteran for VA examinations to assess his PTSD and employment suitability.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and hypertension, finding that new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen the PTSD claim.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and hepatitis C are being remanded due to the need for further evidentiary proceedings, including verification of stressors and a VA examination.

The Veteran's PTSD is manifested by occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity, warranting a 50% initial evaluation.

The Veteran's PTSD results in significant symptoms including insomnia, nightmares, flashbacks, and avoidance. The VA examiner determined the Veteran meets the criteria for a 50% disability rating.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD, finding that his reported military sexual trauma is consistent with the occurrence of an actual military sexual assault.