PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2009

The Veteran's appeals for service connection for cervical stenosis and thoracolumbar spine disability have been withdrawn. The appeal for financial assistance in the purchase of an automobile or other conveyance has been denied.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 50 percent since October 8, 2002. The condition is characterized by significant social and occupational impairment.

The Veteran seeks retroactive payment of vocational rehabilitation benefits due to the need for additional training. The case is being remanded for further development and consideration.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's PTSD is related to his service, and thus grants service connection for PTSD.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, was found to be incurred during active military service. The Board also determined that bronchitis and a skin disorder were not related to his time in service or exposure to herbicides.

The Veteran's claim for a TDIU prior to February 20, 1996 was denied as his service-connected PTSD did not prevent him from engaging in all forms of substantially gainful employment.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD is productive of occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood, warranting a 70 percent disability rating.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 70 percent since June 1, 2004. The Board also granted TDIU based on the severity of his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran seeks service connection for a psychiatric condition, including adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The Board finds that further clarification is needed regarding the nature and etiology of any current psychiatric disabilities and whether they are related to military service or pre-existing conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining medical records and information from Social Security Administration.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated as 10 percent disabling prior to October 24, 2006 and as 30 percent disabling since that date. The Board found the evidence did not meet criteria for a higher rating.

The Veteran does not have a current psychiatric disability, including PTSD, or a chronic skin disorder of the feet that was incurred in or aggravated by active service. The Board finds that the preponderance of evidence is against the claims for service connection.

The Board has denied the Veteran's requests to reopen his claims for service connection for schizophrenia and PTSD, finding that the new evidence submitted does not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claims.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to protect himself from daily hazards and requires regular aid and attendance, leading to the grant of SMC by reason of need for regular aid and attendance.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claims of service connection for PTSD and an innocently acquired psychiatric disorder, including schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. The Veteran's claim is now pending for further adjudication.

The Board finds that the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, back disability, and PTSD are denied as there is not sufficient evidence to establish a link between these conditions and his military service.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's PTSD is related to his military service and grants service connection for a chronic acquired psychiatric disability, specifically Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD due to lack of credible supporting evidence that the claimed in-service stressors occurred. The claim for bursitis of the right elbow was also denied as there was no new and material evidence submitted.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed in order to make a final decision on the appellant's claims of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss and an increased rating for posttraumatic stress disorder. The RO must attempt to obtain SSA records, provide an addendum VA audiological medical opinion, and schedule a new VA examination for PTSD.

The Veteran's PTSD has been productive of a total occupational and social impairment since October 5, 2006. The Board finds that there exists an approximate balance of evidence for and against the claim, resolving all reasonable doubt in favor of the claimant, and grants a 100 percent evaluation for PTSD since October 5, 2006.