PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2011

The Veteran's claim of service connection for a right knee disorder has been reopened and granted. His PTSD is currently rated at 30 percent, effective August 8, 2006.

The Veteran's PTSD is manifested by occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas, such as work, family relations, judgment, thinking, and mood. The Board finds that the criteria for a 70 percent disability rating have been met.

The Board has determined that further development is needed to adjudicate the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD. This includes scheduling a VA examination and obtaining additional treatment records.

The Board has granted a 70 percent rating for the Veteran's PTSD with panic disorder, finding that his symptoms meet the criteria for such a rating.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA and private medical records, Social Security Administration (SSA) disability benefits determination, Army Reserve service treatment records, and a PTSD and hypertension examination.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed in order to make a fully informed decision regarding the Veteran's claims, including obtaining Vet Center records for PTSD and scheduling VA examinations for hearing loss and basal cell carcinoma. The case will be remanded for these purposes.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for a psychiatric disability, including PTSD and depression, is being remanded due to the need for additional development of his claims.

The Veteran's representative withdrew all pending appeals, including the appeal for a higher disability rating for PTSD with depression.

The Board found that the Veteran's claimed PTSD stressors could not be independently verified and thus, service connection for PTSD was denied.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 50 percent since July 17, 2007. The rating was increased to 70 percent effective May 14, 2008.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a VA psychiatric examination to determine the etiology of his claimed PTSD and other acquired psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder; dissociative disorder; multiple personality disorder; major depressive disorder; depression; and schizoaffective disorder. The examiner will also provide an opinion as to whether these conditions are related to service.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD based on a verified in-service stressor of witnessing a helicopter crash into the side of a mountain. The Veteran's bilateral knee disorder claim is remanded due to incomplete development.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and mood disorder, is found to be related to his service. His skin disorder is also found to be related to his service. However, the hypertension claim remains pending as further development was required.

The Board has remanded the case for a new VA examination to determine if any current acquired psychiatric disorder is related to service, including PTSD. The Veteran's claim will be readjudicated after this development.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, due to a lack of verified in-service stressors and no relationship between current symptoms and service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for PTSD and peripheral neuropathy because the medical evidence did not show a diagnosis of PTSD meeting clinical criteria, and because peripheral neuropathy was not related to service or a service-connected disability.

The Veteran currently suffers from PTSD, diagnosed under the DSM-IV criteria, which is related to his service in the Gulf War. Headaches are also found to be secondary to or aggravated by his service-connected PTSD.

The Veteran is seeking service connection for sleep apnea, which he claims is secondary to his service-connected PTSD. He also seeks a TDIU prior to May 19, 2009. The case is being remanded due to the need for further examination and analysis.

The Board finds that the appellant's character of discharge is a bar to VA benefits in the form of entitlement to service connection for PTSD, and thus denies the claim.

The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for his service-connected chronic prostatitis was granted, with the effective date being December 7, 2010. The Veteran is now rated at 40 percent for this disability.