PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2009

The Veteran's PTSD with dysthymia is rated at 70 percent, the highest schedular rating available. The effective date for service connection remains August 20, 2003.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's service-connected PTSD renders him unemployable. The initial rating and TDIU claim will be readjudicated after this additional development.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD is now rated at 100 percent effective June 15, 2007, due to increased impairment in social and occupational functioning.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to his request for a videoconference hearing. The case will be returned to the Board after the hearing.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining records from the Phoenix Vet Center and any investigation mentioned in his employer's memorandum. The issues of service connection on a secondary basis for alcohol abuse and entitlement to an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD are also being addressed.

The Veteran's PTSD is manifested by occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas, such as work, school, family relations, and mood without total occupational and social impairment. The schedular criteria for a disability rating of 70 percent have been met.

The Veteran's claims for service connection are being remanded due to the need for additional examinations and development of records, including VA treatment records and SSA disability benefits documentation.

The Board denied both claims for service connection, finding that the Veteran did not meet eligibility criteria for retroactive benefits due to lack of continuous PTSD diagnosis from April 11, 1980.

The Veteran's PTSD is granted as it was incurred in service due to a personal assault. Basaloid squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue is not presumed to be related to herbicide exposure, and thus no presumptive service connection can be established.

The Veteran's PTSD has been productive of occupational and social impairment, but not to the extent that a higher rating is warranted.

The Veteran's PTSD symptoms, including frequent panic attacks and impairment of short- and long-term memory, have been found to warrant a 50 percent rating.

The Veteran's death was caused by arteriosclerotic heart disease, which is service-connected PTSD.,As the appellant's claim for DIC under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 is moot due to the grant of service connection for the cause of death, her claim remains dismissed.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for PTSD and sleep disorder, and the Board dismissed these issues due to lack of evidence supporting service connection. The claim for pes planus was also dismissed as there is no evidence linking it to active duty.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for PTSD is granted, with the effective date set at November 18, 2004.

The Veteran's posttraumatic stress disorder has been productive of occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity throughout the appeal period, warranting a 50 percent rating.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and evaluation of the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD.

The Veteran is not entitled to specially adapted housing or a special home adaptation grant because his lower extremity disability is due to nonservice-connected conditions and he does not meet the criteria for loss of use of both lower extremities.

The Board has determined that there was clear and unmistakable error in the January 1994 rating decision which denied service connection for PTSD. The effective date of February 16, 1993 is granted as this is the date VA initially received the claim.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric condition, including PTSD and depression, was denied as there is no current diagnosis of PTSD and the evidence does not support a finding that his current depression is related to service.

The Board has remanded the case to the RO for further development due to a fire at NPRC that destroyed service treatment records. The Veteran is advised of alternative sources of evidence and must respond before the case can be returned to the Board.