PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2010

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent disabling, and the Board finds that a higher rating of 70 percent is warranted due to his symptoms including suicidal ideation, panic attacks, difficulty understanding complex commands, impairment of short- and long-term memory, impaired judgment, disturbances of motivation and mood, and difficulty in establishing effective relationships.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 50 percent, reflecting significant occupational and social impairment.

The Veteran is granted service connection for an anxiety disorder, as it was found to be related to his military service. Service connection for PTSD was not established due to the lack of verified stressors.

The Board has remanded the case for further development of the appellant's claimed stressors and a VA psychiatric examination to determine if he currently has PTSD related to his in-service experiences.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss is etiologically related to active duty service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claims for PTSD and psychiatric disability (variously diagnosed) have been granted. The claim for bilateral hearing loss disability is also granted, but a new VA examination is needed to determine the etiology of this condition.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's PTSD is service-connected due to combat-related stressors experienced in Vietnam. The diabetes mellitus, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus claims are remanded for further development.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, is being remanded due to the need for additional development and examination.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for PTSD is denied as there has been no showing of CUE in a prior decision.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for PTSD and increased disability ratings for his left shoulder and right wrist disabilities due to insufficient credible evidence of in-service stressors.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional VA treatment records, Social Security Administration records, and a VA PTSD examination.

The Veteran's PTSD has been manifested by reduced reliability and productivity, with symptoms such as flattened affect, circumstantial speech, panic attacks more than once a week, difficulty understanding complex commands, impairment of short- and long-term memory, impaired judgment, disturbances of motivation and mood, and difficulty establishing effective work and social relationships. The initial 30 percent rating is maintained.

The Board found that the Veteran's posttraumatic stress disorder was not incurred in or aggravated by active service, as there is no evidence of a verified in-service stressor related to his sexual assault.

The Veteran seeks entitlement to a total rating for compensation purposes based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities. The RO denied the claim, and the case is being remanded for further development.

The Veteran's PTSD was found to warrant a 70% rating, reflecting significant occupational and social impairment.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 50 percent since August 2, 2007. The symptoms include disturbances in motivation and mood, difficulty in establishing and maintaining effective work relationships, but no suicidal or homicidal ideation, communication or thought process deficiencies were noted.

The Board denied the Veteran's request to reopen his claim for service connection of PTSD, finding that no new and material evidence had been received.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is being remanded due to the need to verify his claimed in-service stressors and determine if they are consistent with his current diagnosis of PTSD.

The Board found that the Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to September 8, 2008, for a 100 percent disability rating for PTSD was denied as there was no evidence showing entitlement to such rating at any time between April 1, 2008 and September 7, 2008.

The Veteran's PTSD was initially granted and rated at 50% from December 16, 2004 to August 24, 2007. In April 2008, the rating was increased to 70%. The Board is now assigning a staged rating of 100% for PTSD effective September 2, 2005.