PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2010

The Board has determined that the appellant's service discharge was under other than honorable conditions due to a general court-martial in 1969, and therefore his character of service is a bar to VA benefits.

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

The Board has granted service connection for hepatitis C and denied an increased rating for PTSD.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 30 percent since December 20, 2002. Since October 28, 2008, the rating was increased to 50 percent.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and depression, and for a left shoulder disability. The claim for PTSD was not granted due to lack of corroborated in-service stressor.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was denied as there is no credible supporting evidence of an in-service stressor to support the diagnosis.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's PTSD is a result of in-service personal trauma and grants service connection for PTSD.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder contributed to his fatal myocardial infarction, leading to death. Therefore, service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death is granted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a hearing and further development due to the need for compliance with procedural requirements.

The Veteran's PTSD caused occupational and social impairment from October 8, 2004 to August 20, 2007. From August 20, 2007, his PTSD resulted in total occupational and social impairment.

The Veteran's appeal involves the assignment of initial disability ratings for PTSD. The case is remanded to obtain additional medical records and schedule a VA psychiatric examination.

The Veteran's PTSD is characterized by near continuous depression, impaired impulse control, disturbances of motivation and mood, difficulty in establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships, and visual hallucinations and flashbacks. The Board granted a 70 percent evaluation for PTSD, which meets the criteria for such an evaluation.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated as 50 percent disabling, and the evidence does not support a higher rating. The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss and back injury are not service-connected.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD is rated at 70 percent effective from the date of original claim (July 23, 2004), with total occupational and social impairment due to symptoms such as gross impairment in thought processes or communication; persistent delusions or hallucinations; grossly inappropriate behavior; persistent danger of hurting self or others; intermittent inability to perform activities of daily living; disorientation to time or place; memory loss for names of close relatives, own occupation, or own name.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hepatitis, PTSD, and a right leg disorder. The decision found that new and material evidence had not been received to reopen the hepatitis claim, and did not find any link between the claimed disorders and active service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and consideration of additional VA medical records.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 70 percent, effective November 28, 2005. The Board found that the criteria for a higher rating were not met prior to this date.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent, effective December 30, 2005. The appeal for service connection and TDIU was withdrawn by the Veteran.

The Veteran's claim for TDIU due to service-connected disabilities is being remanded as the current evidence does not provide sufficient information on his employability status.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently evaluated as 50 percent disabling, reflecting moderate impairment in work and social functioning.