PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2009

The Board has found that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is causally related to his military service and grants service connection for this condition. The issue of TDIU remains pending as it was remanded.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent, effective March 21, 2005. The Board found that the disability picture prior to this date did not warrant a higher rating.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development, including verification of service dates and a VA psychiatric examination.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his PTSD and its impact on his occupational and social functioning. The initial increased rating claim will be re-adjudicated after this additional development.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals has determined that the Veteran does not have a diagnosis of PTSD and therefore, service connection for PTSD cannot be established.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding in-service stressors and the need for further development of the record.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary prior to adjudication of the Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD with major depressive disorder due to unverified in-service stressors. The case is REMANDED to obtain verification of the Veteran's reported stressors and any other relevant records.

Throughout the rating period, the Veteran's PTSD was characterized by symptoms including poor sleep, intrusive thoughts, isolative behavior, depression, hypervigilance, flashbacks, nightmares, and detachment from family. The VA examiner found that these symptoms were commensurate with a 50% evaluation.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining records from the Social Security Administration and providing a supplemental statement of the case if benefits are denied.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent, the highest schedular rating available. The decision also granted service connection for tinnitus.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim of service connection for PTSD due to new and material evidence. However, further development is needed to verify the Veteran's claimed in-service stressors and determine if his current PTSD is related to military service.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), is granted as service connected due to a verified friendly-fire incident during his service in Vietnam.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and an acquired psychiatric disability to include PTSD and depression are not supported by the evidence of record. The Board finds that there is no current diagnosis or competent medical nexus linking these conditions to his military service.

The Veteran's cause of death, metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma, was not service-connected. The Board found that the Veteran did not have a service-connected disability that caused or contributed to his death.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and consideration of his TDIU claim.

The Board has granted service connection for an anxiety disorder and a major depressive disorder, finding that these conditions are caused or aggravated by the Veteran's military service.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was denied as there is no credible evidence of the claimed inservice stressors and his service records do not indicate combat involvement.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was granted, while his claim for a lipoma was denied. The decision is mixed as it reopened the PTSD claim but did not reopen the lipoma claim.

The Board has granted service connection for COPD and PTSD, finding that the evidence supports these claims based on direct service connection.

The Board has granted service connection for the cause of death due to service-connected PTSD.