PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2010

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his mental health treatment records and consideration by the California Department of Veterans Affairs or any newly-appointed representative.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for further examination and review of medical opinions regarding his PTSD and GERD.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent, and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted based on the evidence of record.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and review of his work history in relation to PTSD.

The Veteran's PTSD has resulted in occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas, preventing him from engaging in substantially gainful employment. The Board finds that his total disability picture most closely approximates the criteria for a 70 percent disability rating.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including verification of in-service stressors and obtaining Social Security Administration records. The Veteran's claim will be reconsidered based on all available evidence.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claims of service connection for anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder are remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding current diagnoses and a causal relationship between his military service and these conditions.

The Veteran seeks an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for PTSD and also contests the April 1990 rating decision. The Board finds that additional development is needed to determine if the Veteran was mentally incapacitated during the period in which he should have appealed the April 1990 decision.

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, diabetes mellitus, and other disabilities. The decision also addressed issues related to heart disability, low back disability, right knee disability, left knee disability, hypertension, and sinusitis and allergic rhinitis.

The Veteran's claim for a TDIU was granted with an effective date of April 4, 1998. The Board found that the earliest date on which it was factually ascertainable that her service-connected disabilities met the schedular criteria for a TDIU under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(a) and precluded her from substantially gainful employment is April 4, 1998.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional treatment records and clarification of his employment status.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, is being remanded due to the need for additional medical records and a VA examination.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently evaluated at 30 percent, which the Board finds insufficient to warrant a higher rating given his symptoms and functional impairment. The current evidence does not support an increase in disability ratings for any of the conditions.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining relevant VA treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to determine his employability due to service-connected disabilities.

The Board has determined that there are outstanding treatment records and a need for a VA psychiatric examination to determine the existence and etiology of any PTSD. The Veteran's claim is being remanded for these purposes.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a 100% rating for posttraumatic stress disorder with panic disorder is denied as the earliest possible effective date is January 20, 2006.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed PTSD was not incurred in or aggravated by active duty service due to a lack of verified stressors, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 50 percent since October 25, 2006 and a temporary total rating of 100 percent was granted from August 18, 2008 to September 26, 2008. The Veteran also received increased ratings for his degenerative changes of the right hip (since January 28, 2007) and left hip (since October 25, 2006), as well as increased ratings for chondromalacia of the right knee with degenerative changes (since October 25, 2006) and chondromalacia of the left knee with degenerative changes (since October 25, 2006). Service connection was granted for PTSD on a new and material basis.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was denied as there is no verified in-service stressor and the regulatory criteria for a claim for service connection for PTSD were not met.

The Board has determined that the Veteran timely filed a notice of disagreement with the Hearing Officer's decision in February 1996, denying service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder. The case is now remanded to adjudicate the claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection.