PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2012

The Veteran withdrew his appeal concerning the issue of entitlement to an increased initial rating for PTSD.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's PTSD is service-connected as it was incurred during his active duty, and all reasonable doubt has been resolved in favor of the claimant.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining medical records and scheduling a VA psychiatric examination to determine the nature and etiology of any diagnosed psychiatric disorders.

The Veteran seeks a certificate of eligibility for assistance in acquiring specially adapted housing due to his service-connected disabilities. The case is remanded as the current evidence does not adequately address whether his service-connected disabilities alone preclude locomotion and require the use of a wheelchair or other ambulatory assistance.

The Board denied increased disability ratings for PTSD and peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for higher evaluations.

The Board has remanded the case to determine whether the Veteran meets the criteria for a PTSD diagnosis and if so, whether his service records demonstrate any changes in behavior that can be clinically interpreted to corroborate the existence of an MST event. The Board will also request an additional examination of the Veteran to determine whether he meets the criteria for a PTSD diagnosis and, if so, whether his service records demonstrate any changes in behavior.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD is shown to have productive of a disability picture that more nearly approximates the criteria for a 70 percent rating, but not higher. The claim has been granted and an initial disability evaluation of 70 percent has been assigned.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 30 percent since November 30, 2005.

The Board finds that the appellant's paranoid schizophrenia manifests itself within the one year presumptive period after his military service, and thus grants service connection for a psychiatric disorder.

For the time period from July 7, 2004 to June 6, 2005, the Veteran's PTSD with major depressive disorder primarily manifested by impairment of sleep and mood with suicidal thoughts but did not significantly impact his work, family relations, judgment, speech, thought process, independent functioning, personal hygiene, impulse control, adaptability to stressful circumstances or ability to establish effective relationships.,Since June 7, 2005, the Veteran's PTSD resulted in deficiencies in work, judgment, thinking and mood that more closely approximated the criteria for a 70 percent rating.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of her claims, including consideration of new evidence and a Supplemental Statement of the Case.

The Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including dysthymic disorder and PTSD, has been remanded due to the need to obtain additional medical records from Social Security Administration.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, has been remanded due to the need for additional development and examination.

The Veteran's PTSD was rated at 30 percent from January 9, 2001, to February 2, 2010. The claim for hypertension secondary to PTSD is pending.

The Veteran's PTSD was granted service connection based on his reported combat experiences in Vietnam. Service connection for bilateral hearing loss and hypertension were denied, but the claim for arthritis of the hands is pending.

The Board denied service connection for a skin disability on the back, peripheral neuropathy of both lower extremities, and an acquired psychiatric disability (to include PTSD), finding no current evidence of these conditions or their onset in service.

The Board found that the Veteran's claimed in-service stressors have not been verified, and his alleged stressors do not indicate a fear of hostile military or terrorist activity. As such, there is no reasonable possibility of substantiating this claim for PTSD.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to the RO for further development and readjudication, including obtaining additional medical records and scheduling a VA examination.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, is being remanded due to the need for additional VA outpatient and inpatient treatment records, as well as a supplemental opinion from the VA examiner regarding the nature and etiology of any current psychiatric disability.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain a new VA examination and additional medical records, as well as for further development of the claim.