PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2011

The Veteran's surviving spouse is seeking increased ratings for PTSD prior to December 30, 1991, from March 1, 1992, to September 24, 1992, and from April 1, 1993, to November 7, 1994, for accrued benefits purposes. The appeal is currently remanded due to the need to address claims of clear and unmistakable error (CUE) in prior rating decisions.

The Veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for service-connected PTSD is being remanded due to the need for a new examination to assess the current severity of his condition.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent, the highest available rating under the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders. The Board finds that the Veteran meets the criteria for a TDIU based on his service-connected PTSD.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his PTSD and for adjudication of any unemployability issues.

The Board has granted a disability rating of 70 percent for the Veteran's anxiety disorder (claimed as PTSD), effective from May 20, 2008. The Veteran meets the criteria for this increased rating based on his symptoms and functional impairment.

The Veteran's PTSD was rated at 50 percent, but the Board found that his symptoms more nearly approximated a 70 percent rating due to deficiencies in most areas of work and social functioning.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development and consideration of his claims, including the expansion of the psychiatric disorder claim to include all diagnosed disorders.

The Veteran is granted service connection for PTSD and related psychiatric conditions, including dysthymic disorder, psychosis NOS, depressive disorder NOS, and anxiety disorder. The in-service stressor of witnessing a Thai soldier's brutal murder has been verified.

The Board has remanded the case to obtain additional service personnel records and VA medical center records, including those from 1973 to 1994. The Veteran's claims for service connection will be reconsidered based on this new information.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently evaluated at a 50 percent rating, effective from April 9, 2003. The VA examiner noted that the Veteran has symptoms consistent with a 50 percent disability rating under Diagnostic Code 9411.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for additional verification of the Veteran's reported stressor and further examination.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, major depressive disorder, and anxiety disorder. The decision found that the Veteran did not have a preexisting condition of PTSD or any other diagnosed psychiatric disability in service, nor could it be linked to service.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 100 percent since February 19, 2004 and the claim for an increased rating has been granted.

The Board has granted service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, attributing it to his service-connected PTSD. The other conditions were not found to be related to service.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD, finding the Veteran did not meet the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria. However, the Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for hearing loss, right hand disability (claimed as residuals of a fracture of the third finger), right hip disability, bone disorder (claimed as residuals of fractured ribs), and low back disability have all been denied. The Board found no evidence linking these conditions to service.

The Board found that the Veteran did not have a diagnosed psychiatric disorder during service and there was no credible evidence of an in-service stressor to support a PTSD diagnosis. The weight of medical evidence is against a nexus between current psychiatric symptoms and service.

The Board has granted the Veteran's appeal regarding the timeliness of her Substantive Appeal for service connection for PTSD, depression, and infertility. The case is now remanded to allow the RO to consider the matter of service connection for infertility as secondary to service-connected PTSD with depression.

The Board has remanded the issue of an increased rating for hepatitis C due to a lack of issuance of a Statement of the Case.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent effective from February 27, 2007. The Board also granted a TDIU prior to March 11, 2008.