PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2011

The Veteran's PTSD is manifested by hypervigilance, impaired sleep, flashbacks, social avoidance and isolation, irritability and anxiety; with a decline in the Global Assessment Functioning (GAF) score from 53 to 50. The criteria for an initial rating of 50 percent have been met.

The Board finds that the Veteran's current degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine and acquired psychiatric disorder are at least as likely as not attributable to his military service, resolving all reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's service connection claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including major depressive disorder and PTSD, is granted. The criteria for direct service connection have been met.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional medical development to evaluate his current disability level due to PTSD, as he contends that his symptoms have increased.

The Board has remanded the case due to a failure to schedule the Veteran for a hearing, and the appeal is now pending before the RO in Newark, New Jersey.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including new VA examinations to evaluate his lumbar degenerative disc disease and posttraumatic stress disorder.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 50 percent, effective from July 23, 2008. The rating reflects occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity due to symptoms such as flattened affect, panic attacks about once a week, very mild impairment of memory, disturbances of motivation and mood, and difficulty in establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships.

The Board found that the Veteran did not timely file a Substantive Appeal in his challenge to the October 2001 rating decision for PTSD, and dismissed his increased rating claim for lack of jurisdiction.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed on the claims of service connection for prostate cancer and depression, including obtaining VA records since June 2008.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, other than PTSD, and whether new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen a claim for service connection for PTSD. The case is remanded for further development.

The Veteran's PTSD is manifested by reduced reliability and productivity, with symptoms such as flattened affect, memory impairment, mood disturbances, and difficulty in social relationships. The Board finds that the criteria for a 50 percent schedular rating are met during the entire appeal period.

The Board denied the appellant's claims for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death and her claim for Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) due to lack of evidence linking the Veteran's death to his military service.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's claimed stressor events and incomplete SSA records. The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD will be reconsidered based on this additional information.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD and assigned a 30% disability rating, effective March 11, 2004. Service connection for depression was denied.

The Board has remanded the case for further development regarding the Veteran's claimed PTSD, including verification of in-service stressors.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and dysthymic disorder, is being remanded due to conflicting diagnoses of PTSD in the VA treatment records. The case will be further evaluated based on the evidence.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for additional development due to errors in previous decisions and incomplete records. The Veteran will be scheduled for VA examinations related to his claims of service connection for PTSD, tinnitus, and headaches.

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 70 percent, the highest schedular rating available. The Board found that a higher rating was not warranted based on the severity of his symptoms.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including obtaining treatment records and scheduling VA examinations to determine the presence of PTSD, hearing loss, and a dental disorder.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for scheduling a Videoconference Board hearing at the earliest available opportunity. The case will be returned to the AMC in Washington, DC after the hearing.