PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2010

The Veteran's chronic pansinusitis and chronic bronchitis are granted as service-connected. The Veteran is also granted service connection for a psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, which is related to his service-connected conditions.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and sleep apnea, finding that there was no verified stressor to support a diagnosis of PTSD and insufficient evidence linking sleep apnea to service or any other condition.

The Board granted a separate 20 percent evaluation for right knee instability and remanded the issues of increased evaluations for right knee disability.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development of his treatment records and a psychiatric examination.

The Board has remanded the case for clarification of whether the Veteran wants a personal hearing and issuance of a statement of the case on the issue of whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen the claim for service connection for PTSD.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining SSA records and VA examinations to assess his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and a right eye disability are being remanded due to the need to obtain additional medical records.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining morning reports and a psychiatric examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims for service connection for ataxia, claimed as incoordination or dizziness, and for indigestion, to include as secondary to an anxiety disorder, are not supported by the evidence of record. The Veteran served in Vietnam but there is no evidence of a nexus between his current conditions and his military service.

The Veteran's generalized anxiety disorder with features of PTSD has not been found to warrant a rating higher than the current 50 percent evaluation.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a cervical spine disorder was denied in January 2004, and new evidence submitted since then does not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim.,Prior to May 28, 2008, the Veteran's PTSD was manifested by poor insight, chronic sleep impairment, restricted affect, depressed mood, and mild memory impairment. The criteria for an initial evaluation greater than 30 percent were not met.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to fully and fairly consider the Veteran's claims, including obtaining medical records and conducting examinations.

The Board found that the Veteran's claims for PTSD and other psychiatric conditions were not supported by credible evidence of in-service stressors, leading to a denial of service connection.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD is manifested by symptoms that more closely approximate a disability that is productive of total occupational and social impairment, including gross impairment in thought processes or communication; persistent delusions or hallucinations; grossly inappropriate behavior; persistent danger of hurting self or others; intermittent ability to perform activities of daily living (including maintenance of minimal personal hygiene); disorientation to time or place; memory loss for names of close relatives; own occupation, or own name. The Veteran is unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation as a result of his service-connected PTSD.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining missing service treatment records and VA medical records. The issue of eligibility for nonservice-connected pension will be held in abeyance until a decision on the PTSD claim.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD was initially rated at 50 percent prior to May 29, 2008. Since then, the rating has been increased to 70 percent.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU prior to December 1, 2005 is being remanded due to the need for issuance of a Statement of the Case.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD and anxiety disorder, finding credible evidence of in-service stressors. The Veteran's residuals of larynx cancer have been rated as 10 percent disabling.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD, finding that new and material evidence had been submitted to reopen his petition. However, it was determined that he did not engage in combat with the enemy and there is no verified stressor related to his claimed in-service events. As a result, the claim for service connection for PTSD was denied.

The Board found that the Veteran's claimed stressors have not been corroborated, and thus his claim for service connection for PTSD was denied.