PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2009

The Veteran's claim for PTSD is being remanded due to the need to verify his in-service stressors, including combat duty. The Board will conduct further development and re-adjudicate the case.

The Veteran's PTSD prior to June 7, 2007 was manifested by occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform tasks due to depression, anxiety, panic attacks (weekly or less often), chronic sleep impairment, and mild memory loss. After June 7, 2007, the Veteran's PTSD was manifested by no more than an occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood due to obsessive rituals and difficulty adapting to stressful circumstances.

The Board found that the Veteran did not engage in combat and there is insufficient evidence to corroborate his claimed stressors. As a result, service connection for PTSD was denied.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for multiple sclerosis and remanded his claims of PTSD with depression and bilateral hearing loss for additional development.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete verification of service records and need for additional information regarding the claimed stressor. The Veteran's claims will be adjudicated without regard to prior denials.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board has determined that a higher rating of 50 percent is warranted based on his symptoms.

The Veteran's PTSD with major depressive disorder is currently rated at 30 percent, which is the maximum schedular rating available. The Board finds that his symptoms do not warrant a higher evaluation.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD does not alone render him unemployable, and his combined disability rating does not meet the criteria for a TDIU. The claim for temporary total rating based on consecutive hospitalizations and convalescence is also denied.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is being remanded due to the need for a VA medical examination and further development of his claims.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected PTSD contributed to his death, and thus grants service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.

The Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of PTSD and the evidence fails to establish service connection for this disability.

The Board has determined that the evidence is at least in equipoise, supporting a finding of service connection for PTSD. The Veteran's exposure to enemy fire during his time in Vietnam is considered as part of the service connection.

The Board has ordered the VA to verify the Veteran's alleged stressors and provide any available information from the Army Joint Services Records Research Center (JSRRC) that would serve to corroborate his claims. The case will be remanded for further development.

The Board has remanded the case to the RO for further development, including a VA examination and compliance with VCAA notice requirements. The Veteran's claim of entitlement to an evaluation in excess of 50 percent for PTSD is on appeal.

The Board has granted service connection for post-traumatic stress disorder.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD is rated at 70 percent, meeting the criteria for a TDIU rating.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities have been rated based on their current severity, with some adjustments to better reflect the degree of impairment.

The VA denied the appellant's request for special monthly compensation based on the need for regular aid and attendance or as a result of being housebound due to his service-connected disabilities. The appellant has a combined rating percentage of 100 percent, with one condition rated at 100 percent (post-traumatic stress disorder) and another condition rated at 20 percent (Type 2 diabetes mellitus with bilateral cataracts).

The Board found no evidence of a current disability related to service and denied the claim for service connection.

The Board and RO denied service connection for a psychiatric disability, other than PTSD, alcoholism, and a right knee disability. The Veteran's claim of reopening the psychiatric disability was not successful due to lack of new and material evidence.