PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2009

The veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, a bipolar disorder (by history) and adjustment disorder with depressed mood were granted. Claims for drowsiness, aching joints, throat clearing, and dyspnea due to an undiagnosed illness as a result of Persian Gulf War service were denied.

The Board has reopened the claims for service connection for PTSD and a low back disability, but denied service connection for disabilities of the cervical and thoracic spine.

The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not preclude him from obtaining and retaining substantially gainful employment.

The appeal for service connection for PTSD was denied as the claimed in-service stressors could not be verified or supported by credible corroborating evidence. The Veteran also withdrew his appeals for increased ratings for hemorrhoids and a left varicocele.

The veteran's PTSD is productive of total occupational and social impairment, warranting a 100 percent disability rating.

The appeal to reopen a claim for service connection for PTSD was denied because the evidence submitted since the previous denial did not establish new and material evidence.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD due to a lack of evidence linking it to an in-service stressor, and found that new and material evidence had not been submitted to reopen the claim for a psychiatric disorder other than PTSD.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD with dysthymic disorder as there was no evidence of a current diagnosis of PTSD, and the evidence did not support a direct link between his psychiatric symptoms and his military service.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD as the medical evidence did not show that any stressful incident reported by the Veteran met criterion A of the DSM-IV criteria and there was no current diagnosis of PTSD.

The Board denied service connection for residuals of a fracture of the right fifth metacarpal, carpal tunnel syndrome with ganglion cyst of the right wrist (claim withdrawn), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and an initial rating higher than 10 percent prior to September 24, 2004, and to a rating higher than 30 percent thereafter for residuals of a closed head injury, to include migraine headaches.

The Veteran's claim for an evaluation in excess of 30 percent for PTSD was denied, and there is no legal entitlement to an effective date earlier than May 16, 2001, for the grant of service connection for PTSD.

The veteran's claims for service connection for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with fibrosis, a right shoulder disorder, bilateral lower extremity claudication, post-traumatic stress disorder, porphyria cutanea tarda, and bilateral hearing loss are being remanded for further development.

The appeal is being remanded to the RO for further development of evidence related to the Veteran's claimed in-service stressors and a possible VA examination.

The Board remands the claim for a VA psychiatric examination to determine the current level of severity of the veteran's service-connected PTSD.

The appeal is remanded for further development, including verification of the Veteran's claimed stressors and exposure to cold weather, as well as a current examination for his hearing loss.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, hepatitis C, and depression were denied as there was no current diagnosis of these conditions. The claim for arthritis was also denied due to the lack of evidence linking it to his military service. For bilateral hearing loss and hemorrhoids, non-compensable ratings were assigned.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and hypertension, as there was no evidence of an in-service injury or disease that could be linked to his current disabilities.

The Board denied the claim for an earlier effective date for the award of a 100 percent rating for PTSD, as there is no legal basis to grant the benefit sought.

The veteran's service-connected PTSD is not manifested by occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity due to such symptoms as: flattened affect, circumstantial, circumlocutory, or stereotyped speech, panic attacks more than once a week, difficulty in understanding complex commands, impairment of short- and long-term memory (e.g., retention of only highly learned material, forgetting to complete tasks), impaired judgment, impaired abstract thinking, disturbances of motivation and mood, difficulty in establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD due to a lack of credible supporting evidence for the claimed in-service stressors.