PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2009

The Board found that the Veteran's service-connected PTSD did not cause or contribute to his death, and there was no evidence linking Polymyalgia Rheumatica to service. The appellant's claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is denied.

The Veteran's PTSD was productive of symptoms including irritability, nightmares, memory loss, and social isolation. The VA examiner found that the Veteran had logical thought processes but sometimes irrelevant speech. His condition did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran's bladder cancer and acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, are granted service connection as they are related to his military service.

The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to personal assault. The Veteran's claim was initially denied in March 2002 and remanded multiple times before the Board finally granted it.

The Veteran's PTSD has not been productive of occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood due to symptoms such as suicidal ideation; obsessional rituals which interfere with routine activities; intermittently illogical, obscure, or irrelevant speech; near-continuous panic or depression affecting the ability to function independently, appropriately and effectively; impaired impulse control; spatial disorientation; neglect of personal appearance and hygiene; difficulty in adapting to stressful circumstances; and an inability to establish and maintain effective relationships. Therefore, his PTSD does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and depressive disorder NOS, was related to his active military service. The appeal of the issue of entitlement to service connection for PTSD is dismissed.

The Board has ordered that all medical records, including VA outpatient treatment records and the summary of the Veteran's December 2007 VA hospitalization, should be requested. The case is now REMANDED for further action.

The Board finds that the Veteran's PTSD is most likely caused by or a result of in-service events, and grants service connection for PTSD.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including verifying the Veteran's claimed stressors and obtaining a VA psychiatric and pulmonary examination to determine service connection for PTSD and asthma rating.

The Veteran's death was caused by non-service-connected lung cancer and emphysema, not his service-connected PTSD. Therefore, the claim for DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 is denied.

The Board found no evidence of a current diagnosis of the claimed conditions and determined that service connection was not warranted for any of the Veteran's claims.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a grant of service connection for PTSD was denied by the RO. The appeal is currently pending and must be returned to the RO for further development.

The Veteran's PTSD warrants a staged increased rating of 50 percent for the period prior to January 19, 2006; from that date a rating in excess of 70 percent is not warranted.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim of service connection for PTSD. The Veteran's stressors, including explosions of ammunition and chemical alarms, will be verified by the JSRRC.

The Board has decided to grant the Veteran's claim for service connection for a chronic acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, depression, and bipolar disorder. The decision is based on evidence that supports a direct relationship between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for PTSD due to incomplete information provided by the Veteran regarding his claimed in-service stressors. The case is now pending with instructions to provide specific information and conduct further development as requested.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination and opinion regarding whether his current PTSD is related to handling dead and injured bodies during his tour of duty as a member of the United States Marine Corps in Vietnam.

The Board found that the Veteran's PTSD symptoms are not permanently disabling and therefore, a permanent TDIU is not warranted.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent, and the Board finds that it does not meet the criteria for a higher initial rating.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination and the retrieval of treatment records. The issue remains whether he should receive an evaluation higher than 50 percent for his PTSD.