PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2010

The Board found that the Veteran's claimed in-service stressors could not be verified, and thus did not establish service connection for PTSD or any psychiatric disability other than PTSD.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's PTSD is due to his service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 50 percent since the decision was made, reflecting significant impairment in social and occupational functioning.

The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied across multiple conditions, including PTSD, chloracne, hypertension, hepatitis C infection, and a lung disability. The Board found no evidence linking these conditions to service or herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's appeal was withdrawn for all issues except the initial rating for PTSD, which resulted in a denial. The Veteran also withdrew his appeals on other secondary service connection claims.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including verification of in-service stressors and a VA examination to determine if the Veteran's PTSD is related to his military service.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, major depressive disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder, is found to be related to his in-service stressor. The skin condition claim secondary to herbicide exposure will be addressed in the remand portion of this decision.

The Veteran's PTSD did not meet the criteria for a higher rating as his symptoms were not severe enough to warrant an evaluation in excess of 30 percent.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD is characterized by significant social and occupational impairment, warranting a disability rating of 70 percent.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional evidence and a VA examination. The issues of entitlement to an increased rating for PTSD and TDIU are pending.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's Posttraumatic Stress Disorder is attributable to service, while there is no evidence of a chronic disability manifested by pulmonary cryptococcosis during the relevant period.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for PTSD was denied as there is no legal entitlement to such a date.

The Veteran's initial evaluation for PTSD was granted at a 50 percent rating, effective June 28, 2005.

The Veteran's claims for PTSD and a higher rating for left knee disability are being remanded due to the need for additional development, including providing notice on corroborating evidence of stressor incidents, obtaining an opinion regarding the likelihood of PTSD based on verified in-service stressors, and scheduling another VA examination to reassess the severity of his left knee disability.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the criteria for special monthly compensation based on aid and attendance or housebound status.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining information to corroborate alleged in-service stressors and scheduling the Veteran for VA psychiatric and audiology examinations.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a hearing and obtaining Social Security Administration records.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess the severity of his PTSD and whether he is unable to secure or maintain gainful employment due to service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's appeals for increased disability ratings for PTSD, migraine headaches, and asthma have been dismissed due to his withdrawal of the appeals.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 30 percent since March 14, 2007. The Board found that the current level of impairment does not warrant a higher rating.