PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2011

The Veteran requested withdrawal of his appeal for the issues involving PTSD, and as a result, the Board has dismissed the appeal.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, is being remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions and consideration of new evidence.

The Veteran's PTSD symptoms have approximated the criteria for a 70 percent rating from September 26, 2006. The claims for higher ratings for right and left knee disabilities remain on appeal.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD and an acquired psychiatric disability other than PTSD, finding that the Veteran's symptoms are related to her in-service stressors. The acquired psychiatric disability is also found to be caused by her service-connected PTSD.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD has been denied as he does not have a diagnosed disability of PTSD. The claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including chronic adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, is pending.

The Board has remanded the case due to a failure of VA's December 2007 notice letter to inform the Veteran of the correct date of the prior denial and state the basis for this denial. The Veteran must be notified of his right to submit additional evidence and argument on the matter.

The Veteran's PTSD is granted as it was incurred in service, with the stressors occurring during his time in Vietnam and related to his military duties.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim seeking an earlier effective date for PTSD, finding that VA did not have sufficient evidence to support his claim at the time of the original 1983 rating decision.

The Board has dismissed the appeal due to the appellant's withdrawal of the appeal prior to a decision being made.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to ambiguity in the Veteran's VA treatment records and the August 2009 VA examination report regarding whether PTSD is currently diagnosed.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA and private treatment records, scheduling a VA examination to assess the impact of his service-connected disabilities on his employability, and issuing a statement of the case regarding his increased disability evaluation claim.

The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that his arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease and PTSD contributed to his death.

The Veteran's appeal for a rating in excess of 30 percent for PTSD has been dismissed due to the death of the appellant.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for pancreatitis and an increased rating for hemorrhoids were denied. The Board found no current diagnosis of pancreatitis, and the Veteran's hemorrhoids are currently evaluated as noncompensable.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including posttraumatic stress disorder and anxiety disorder, is related to his military service and grants this claim.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination and additional medical records. The issue remains an initial increased rating claim for PTSD.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination and further review of his stressor claims.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to her failure to attend a scheduled hearing. The issues listed on the title page are still pending.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for various psychiatric disorders, tinnitus, maxillary sinusitis, hemorrhoids, lupus, hiatal hernia with reflux, dextroscoliosis of the mid-thoracic spine, palmar and facial erythema, livedo reticularis, and TDIU were denied. The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was not substantiated as his claimed psychiatric disorders are not related to military service. His claims for tinnitus, maxillary sinusitis, hemorrhoids, lupus, hiatal hernia with reflux, dextroscoliosis of the mid-thoracic spine, palmar and facial erythema, livedo reticularis, and TDIU were also denied as there was no evidence of a current disability or that any such disabilities are related to military service. The Veteran's claim for CUE in the April 1992 rating decision denying tinnitus was not established.

The Board found that the Veteran's PTSD is related to his service aboard the USS Preston, and granted service connection for this condition. Service connection was also granted for prostate cancer as secondary to Agent Orange exposure. However, there was no current hearing loss disability meeting VA criteria.