PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2010

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination and consideration of the issue of unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination to determine if he requires aid and attendance or is housebound due solely to his service-connected disabilities.

The Board has remanded the case for further development and consideration, including proper VCAA notice and a VA examination to determine if the Veteran currently has a scar above his left eye or other impairment affecting this region.

The Board denied the reopening of the claim for service connection for PTSD due to lack of new and material evidence.

The Veteran's PTSD, coronary artery disease, and hypertension are all found to be related to his service-connected PTSD. The Veteran is granted service connection for these conditions on a secondary basis.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD, finding that there was no evidence of combat experience or a verified in-service stressor.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disability, including PTSD and dysthymic disorder, was granted. His claim for an increased rating for his left ankle sprain was also granted with a compensable rating of 10 percent.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent, his avitaminosis and malnutrition are noncompensably disabling, and both of his peripheral neuropathy conditions are each rated at 10 percent. The appeals for increased ratings have been denied.

The Veteran's claim for a disability rating in excess of 30 percent for PTSD was denied by the Board, as his PTSD has been manifested by occupational and social impairment due to no more than moderate symptoms.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for PTSD due to incomplete compliance with previous remand directives. The AMC must verify alleged in-service stressors and attempt to obtain corroborating evidence for personal assault stressors.

The Veteran's service-connected conditions do not meet the criteria for either automobile and adaptive equipment or specially adapted housing assistance.

The Board has determined that additional development of the record is required due to the Veteran's claim for PTSD based on personal assault. The case is REMANDED for stressor verification and a VA examination.

The Veteran's character of discharge is found to be honorable for VA purposes, and he is granted service connection for PTSD. Service connection is also granted for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus due to in-service noise exposure. The claim for migraine headaches remains pending as the Veteran failed to report for scheduled examinations.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, diabetes mellitus, and peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, are found to prevent him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation. The Board grants a TDIU rating based on these conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of PTSD, finding that the August 2003 rating decision is final and that he cannot be granted benefits from August 2002 when he filed his initial claim.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for increased evaluations and service connection, finding that the evidence does not support a higher rating or service connection for his claimed conditions.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD has not resulted in total occupational and social impairment, so the initial rating of 70 percent is denied.

The Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 30 percent for PTSD was denied, and his claims for earlier effective dates were also denied. The Veteran's PTSD has been rated as 30 percent disabling since July 7, 2006.

The Board found the Veteran's account of his in-service stressor to be inherently incredible and denied service connection for PTSD.

The Veteran's appeal for nonservice-connected pension benefits was denied as he did not meet the threshold service eligibility requirements. The Board found that his military service does not qualify him for VA pension benefits.