PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2009

The Veteran's prostate cancer is granted as secondary to Agent Orange exposure. The service connection for PTSD remains pending.

The Board has remanded the case for further development to verify the Veteran's claimed stressors and determine if he has PTSD as a result of any verified stressor(s).

The Board denied service connection for PTSD due to lack of credible supporting evidence that the claimed in-service stressor occurred. The claim for reopening a skin disorder was also denied as there is no new and material evidence received since the October 1993 RO decision.

The Board has remanded the case for further action, including scheduling a Travel Board hearing and verifying the Veteran's current address.

The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of his PTSD is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran did not submit new and material evidence to reopen his claim of service connection for PTSD, which was previously denied in February 1999.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a fee basis outpatient identification card due to the availability of geographically accessible VA facilities that can provide necessary psychiatric services, including at the St. Louis VAMC.

The Board found that the Veteran did not provide sufficient information about in-service stressors to support a diagnosis of PTSD and denied his claims for service connection for PTSD, residuals of a head injury, depression, and anxiety.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder was denied because the claim was not timely filed and there is no legal entitlement to an earlier effective date.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating higher than 30 percent for PTSD is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and consideration of additional evidence.

The Veteran's PTSD is manifested by symptoms such as difficulty sleeping, intrusive memories, depression, mild memory loss, flashbacks, isolation, hyperarousal, hypervigilance, suicidal ideation, obsessional rituals, and difficulty establishing effective work and social relationships. The Board found that the criteria for an increased disability rating for PTSD have not been met.

The Board has decided to remand the Veteran's claims for PTSD and increased rating for anxiety disorder due to inadequate VCAA notice, and the need to obtain additional medical records.

The Board found that the Veteran submitted a timely Notice of Disagreement with the effective date assigned for the grant of service connection for PTSD in the September 2001 rating decision. The claim is allowed to this extent, and an open claim from October 27, 1992 will be addressed as part of the remand development.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is granted. The Board finds that the Veteran has provided credible lay evidence of stressors in service and these are related to his currently diagnosed PTSD.

The Board has granted service connection for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) based on the Veteran's reported experiences in the Persian Gulf Theater of Operations, finding that his PTSD is related to these service-connected stressors.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his PTSD claims, including obtaining VA and private treatment records and information from the Social Security Administration.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD and a psychiatric disorder, but granted the claim to reopen for a skin disorder. The Veteran's duodenal ulcer rating remains unchanged.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent, effective from November 28, 2003. The evidence does not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 70 percent since November 9, 2007. The Board found that the Veteran's PTSD alone does not meet the criteria for a higher rating and denied an increased rating. For TDIU, the Veteran was granted service connection but his unemployability is attributed to nonservice-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not meet the criteria for higher evaluations or service connection in all cases.