PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2009

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining post-service treatment records from Walter Reed Army Hospital and providing a VA medical opinion regarding the Veteran's death.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD, including as due to an in-service personal assault, requires additional development and verification of his claimed stressors. The case is REMANDED to obtain further information from the U.S. Army & Joint Services Records Research Center (JSRRC) regarding two alleged stressors: one involving the death of soldiers in Second Lieutenant [redacted] company on October 31, 1952, and another involving mustard gas testing at Fort Jackson, South Carolina.

The Veteran's claims for PTSD, bilateral hand and foot disabilities, and left shoulder disability were all denied as the evidence did not establish a link between these conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's PTSD was initially rated at 30 percent from November 29, 2005 to February 20, 2007. For the period starting February 20, 2007, his PTSD warranted a higher rating of 70 percent.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a new examination to assess his current PTSD symptoms and their impact on his social and occupational functioning. The RO/AMC will also consider whether he meets criteria for a TDIU.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was denied because there is no credible evidence of combat exposure or non-combat stressors supporting a diagnosis of PTSD. The Board also found that the Veteran did not have any other diagnosed psychiatric disability, such as recurrent major depressive disorder and alcohol dependence, that could be linked to his military service.

The Veteran's PTSD is manifested by symptoms such as depression, restricted affect, panic attacks less than once a week, impairment in sleep with nightmares, and difficulty in establishing effective work and social relationships. The Board finds that the Veteran meets the criteria for a 50 percent disability rating.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for an increased rating for PTSD and TDIU due to service-connected disability, finding that the symptoms did not warrant a higher evaluation.

The Veteran's claim for PTSD was granted, and the Board found new and material evidence to reopen his claim of service connection for bilateral knee disabilities.

The Veteran's psychiatric disability, diagnosed as PTSD and Generalized Anxiety Disorder, was incurred in service. The Board grants the claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's PTSD is related to an in-service personal assault and grants his claim for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's chronic hepatitis C is service-connected, but there is no evidence of a chronic acquired psychiatric disorder to include PTSD.

The Board has determined that the submitted evidence does not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim for service connection for PTSD, and thus the claim to reopen is denied.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for PTSD was denied by the Board, as his symptoms did not warrant a higher rating.

The Board found that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of PTSD and her symptoms are better explained by other conditions such as alcohol dependency and borderline personality disorder. The in-service stressors were not corroborated, and there is no evidence to support the claimed service connection.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 30 percent, reflecting occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks.

The Board found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for service connection as her claimed PTSD was not incurred in or aggravated by active duty, and there is no credible evidence of an in-service stressor.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for PTSD is dismissed. The claim for other mental illness, including schizophrenia as a residual of a head injury, will be remanded to the RO/AMC for further development and consideration.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus due to lack of evidence showing a current disability or a link between his military service and these conditions.

The Board has remanded the case due to need for additional development, including a new VA examination and issuance of a Statement of the Case (SOC) regarding the issue of entitlement to an initial disability rating greater than 30 percent for service-connected PTSD.