PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2012

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining private treatment records and arranging for a VA examination. The issue of entitlement to an initial evaluation in excess of 30 percent for PTSD will be reconsidered.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, major depressive disorder, and coronary artery disease are being remanded due to the need for additional development. The case will be returned to the Board after further action.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development, including a VA examination to assess the current severity of his PTSD and retrieval of relevant medical records. The issue of entitlement to TDIU is also raised by the record.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient verification of inservice stressors and a need for additional medical examination. The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, depression, and anxiety, is pending.

The Veteran's PTSD with major depressive disorder results in reduced reliability and productivity, but does not meet the criteria for a higher rating as per VA's Schedule for Rating Disabilities. The current disability rating of 50 percent is maintained.

The Board finds that the Veteran's claimed PTSD is related to his service, and thus grants service connection for PTSD. The claim for residuals of cold weather injury to the lower extremities is denied as there is no clear evidence of such injuries during service.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD and Bipolar Disorder, finding that the Veteran's current psychiatric conditions are related to her in-service experiences.

The Board denied service connection for residuals of a laceration of the scalp and PTSD, finding that there was no showing of a resulting chronic condition during service or continuity of symptomatology after service. The Veteran's statements regarding stressors were not presumed to have occurred due to lack of medical evidence supporting his diagnosis of PTSD.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 30 percent since March 11, 2004. The claim for a TDIU is moot due to the grant of a higher rating for PTSD.

The Veteran's claim for an evaluation in excess of 50 percent for his acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, was denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity and symptoms of his PTSD.

The Board has determined that the appellant's claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of PTSD should be granted, as his initial claim was filed on September 19, 2000.

The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for PTSD has been denied. The current evaluation of 50 percent is considered appropriate based on the symptoms reported.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 70 percent since July 12, 2006. The Board granted a TDIU from July 12, 2006 to November 13, 2006 due to the severity of his service-connected disabilities.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a more contemporaneous VA psychiatric examination and obtaining of recent medical records. The case will be reconsidered based on the updated evidence.

The Veteran's PTSD warrants a 50 percent disability rating for the period prior to June 17, 2011.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for a new VA examination to assess the current nature, extent and severity of his PTSD with depressive disorder.

The Veteran's PTSD was productive of occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas, but not total social and industrial impairment from December 29, 2006 to March 18, 2010. The schedular criteria for rating of the Veteran's PTSD are adequate for evaluation of the specific manifestations resulting for his disorder.

The Veteran's PTSD has been manifested by severe irritability, unexplained crying spells, thoughts of suicide and dying, difficulty concentrating, increasing sleeping difficulties, adequate hygiene, non-spontaneous speech, circumstantial thought processes, panic attacks, and some distractibility productive of occupational and social impairment comparable to no more than reduced reliability and productivity. The Veteran is therefore entitled to a 50 percent initial rating for PTSD.

The Board has determined that further development is necessary to properly adjudicate the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD. This includes obtaining a comprehensive VA examination and reviewing all pertinent evidence.

The Veteran's appeal has been dismissed due to his death during the pendency of the appeal.