PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2010

The Board found that the Veteran did not have a verified in-service stressor and thus, his PTSD was not incurred or aggravated by active service.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD is characterized by symptoms such as a depressed mood, flattened affect, irritability and anger issues, difficulty sleeping due to nightmares, difficulty adapting to stressful situations, intrusive thoughts, intermittent suicidal ideation, and frequent panic attacks. These symptoms warrant an evaluation of 70 percent.

The Board has remanded the case for a VA examination to determine whether the Veteran meets the diagnostic criteria for PTSD and if any other psychiatric disability is related to his active service. The Veteran's claim will be re-adjudicated based on the results of this examination.

The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining clinical records from Camp Lejeune and scheduling a VA psychiatric examination.

The Board denied service connection for residuals of frostbite to the fingers and PTSD due to lack of credible evidence supporting these claims.

The Veteran's posttraumatic stress disorder with alcoholism has not been manifested by occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity during the current rating period, warranting a 30 percent evaluation.

The Veteran's PTSD was evaluated as 50 percent disabling from May 11, 2005 to June 5, 2010. For the period after June 6, 2010, the Veteran's PTSD warranted a 70 percent evaluation.

The Board previously denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD. The case is being remanded to the RO due to a recent grant of service connection and assignment of a rating, effective February 4, 2010.

The Board has remanded the case for further development to address the Veteran's claim of service connection for PTSD, including obtaining unit histories and stressor verification.

The Veteran's appeal for an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not show occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity due to symptoms such as flattened affect, panic attacks, or difficulty understanding complex commands.

The Board found that the Veteran's posttraumatic stress disorder was not incurred in or aggravated by service, and denied the claim.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD. The Veteran's bilateral sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus claims are addressed in the REMAND portion of this decision.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected anxiety reaction with PTSD caused or contributed to his death, and thus grants service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including scheduling a videoconference hearing.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss is granted. The Board finds that the evidence is at least in equipoise as to whether the Veteran's current hearing loss was caused by service, including significant noise exposure during her military career.

The Veteran's claim is denied as the evidence does not show total occupational and social impairment due to PTSD prior to August 12, 2006.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for his service-connected PTSD is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and review of outstanding medical records.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 50 percent since December 2, 2009.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, spinal arthritis, bilateral leg arthritis, pes planus, tinnitus, and peripheral neuropathy of the lower extremities due to lack of evidence linking these conditions to his active service.

The Board denied the appellant's claim for DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 as it is not legally meritorious due to the Veteran dying more than 5 years following his separation from active service and was not receiving or entitled to receive compensation at a 100 percent rate for the required period.