PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2009

The Veteran's PTSD has been granted an initial evaluation of 70 percent effective January 10, 2009. The claim for earlier effective date is denied. The Veteran is also granted a TDIU.

The Veteran's diagnosed PTSD is found to be incurred in service due to a verified in-service stressor.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional examinations and to obtain VA treatment records. The issues of increased ratings for right talar dislocation and PTSD are on appeal.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a Travel Board hearing. The issue of an increased disability rating for service-connected PTSD remains on hold.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not have recognized POW status, and his claimed conditions are not related to his military service.

The Board has granted an effective date of February 8, 1996 for the award of service connection for tinnitus and denied an earlier effective date. The effective date of February 28, 2008 was properly assigned for the award of service connection for PTSD.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a VA psychiatric examination to determine if the Veteran meets the criteria for PTSD based on his in-service stressor of almost falling out of a helicopter. The claim will be readjudicated after this additional development.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated as 30 percent disabling. The Board has found that the Veteran's symptoms, including occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas due to long-term periods of a lack of interpersonal trust, anxiety, poor sleep, hypervigilence, social isolation, flashbacks, mood swings, and nightmares, warrant an increased rating to 70 percent.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 30 percent prior to August 23, 2004 and 70 percent as of that date. The Board found the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating under any applicable diagnostic code.

The Veteran's PTSD with bipolar disorder has been rated at 30 percent since June 29, 2007. The disability is productive of occupational and social impairment due to reduced reliability and productivity.

The Board has remanded the case for further development to verify the Veteran's claimed stressors and determine if service connection can be established.

The VA medical opinion found that the Veteran's service-connected PTSD did not substantially and materially contribute to his death from metastatic prostate cancer, cardiorespiratory arrest, or hypostatic pneumonia/renal failure.

The Board has determined that the Veteran engaged in combat with the enemy and his PTSD is related to service, thus granting service connection for PTSD.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining additional medical evidence and verifying claimed stressors. The Veteran's service connection claim is pending.

The veteran's appeal is being remanded for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected PTSD and its impact on his social and occupational functioning.

The Veteran's PTSD with history of anxiety reaction was found to not meet the criteria for a disability rating in excess of 10 percent, as his symptoms did not result in occupational and social impairment due to mild or transient symptoms that decreased work efficiency during periods of significant stress.

The Board has remanded the case due to a need for additional development and consideration of whether the Veteran's diagnoses of Alzheimer's dementia or major depression with anxiety are service related.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, hypertension, and skin disorders. The decision found that there was no evidence of a verified in-service stressor for PTSD or a causal link between any diagnosed skin disorder and herbicide exposure during active service.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and examination, including obtaining records from the 196th Station Hospital in Mons, Belgium, and providing the Veteran with a VCAA notice regarding alternative evidence sources. The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, will be reconsidered based on the additional evidence obtained.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD in January 1983 due to lack of confirmation of a claimed stressor. The Veteran submitted new evidence, but it was not material as it did not provide details of his claimed stressor or establish a link between his current symptoms and an in-service event.