PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2010

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining Social Security Administration records and scheduling VA examinations to assess the severity of his PTSD and other service-connected disabilities.

The Board has reopened the claim of service connection for PTSD due to new and material evidence, but the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of PTSD that meets the criteria. Therefore, the claim is denied.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA psychiatric examination to determine if any current psychiatric disability is related to service.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development and consideration of the Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD due to unverified in-service stressors.

The Veteran's PTSD has been productive of moderate to serious impairment, with an inability to establish and maintain effective relationships. The Board finds that a 70 percent rating for PTSD is warranted from September 11, 2003.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his claims, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of his psychiatric disabilities.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent disabling, and the Board has determined that an evaluation higher than this is not warranted.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's hepatitis C is not related to service, and thus denied his claim for service connection. The issue of service connection for a psychiatric disability other than PTSD remains pending.

The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of PTSD is being remanded due to the need to address a separate issue regarding clear and unmistakable error (CUE) in a previous denial letter. The issues are intertwined, so the CUE issue must be addressed first.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for PTSD is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining more recent VA treatment records and scheduling a new psychiatric examination.

The Board has granted service connection for thoracolumbar strain with scoliosis and PTSD, assigning initial ratings of 10 percent effective January 19, 2006. The Veteran's thoracolumbar strain with scoliosis is currently rated at 20 percent.

The Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for PTSD is being remanded due to the need for further development, including verification of a claimed in-service stressor and obtaining additional medical records.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 50 percent disabling, but the appeal for an increased rating has been denied. The claim to reopen a bilateral hearing loss disability was also denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his PTSD claim, including obtaining employment records and VA treatment records. The case will be readjudicated after the additional development.

The Veteran's appeal for increased evaluations of PTSD has been dismissed due to his withdrawal of the appeal for a disability evaluation in excess of 50 percent from November 1, 2007.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development to determine his eligibility for specially adapted housing or special home adaptation grant and automobile and adaptive equipment.

The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, which include bilateral hearing loss (60%), PTSD (30%), shell fragment wound to the left knee (20%), tinnitus (10%), degenerative changes of the left knee (10%), and varicosities of the left leg (10%), do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent disabling effective March 19, 2009. The VA mental health examination in November 2007 showed symptoms such as anxious and sad mood, impairment of short-term memory, but no evidence of other severe impairments.

The Veteran's claim for an initial disability rating in excess of 30 percent for PTSD is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination and consideration of whether a TDIU is warranted.

The Veteran's PTSD has been productive of occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity, warranting a 100 percent disability rating.