PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2012

The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent, effective November 20, 2008. The VA examiner found the Veteran to have occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA and VAOPT records, and scheduling a VA examination. The case will be readjudicated based on all pertinent evidence.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection for PTSD due to new evidence received since the July 2000 denial. However, the Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD remains denied as there is no credible evidence of an in-service stressor and the diagnosis of PTSD was not supported by the evidence at the time of the original decision.

The Board found that the Veteran did not have PTSD due to his combat experiences, and therefore denied service connection for PTSD.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for hypertension, severe headaches, bilateral numbness in upper and lower extremities (hands and feet), acquired psychiatric disorder including PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder, and depressive disorder, and skin cancer. The evidence did not establish a current disability or link to service.

The Veteran's PTSD and depression are currently rated at 50 percent, reflecting occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity. The appeal is denied as the symptoms do not more nearly approximate a higher rating.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including scheduling a hearing and issuing a Statement of the Case regarding whether new and material evidence has been received to reopen his claim of service connection for a heart condition as secondary to PTSD.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 50 percent since September 4, 2009. The Board found that a higher rating of 70 percent is warranted due to the severity of symptoms including suicidal ideation and social isolation.

The Veteran's appeal is currently pending due to the need for a proper initial disability evaluation for PTSD. The TDIU claim is held in abeyance until this issue is resolved.

The Board has found that the Veteran's anxiety disorder more closely approximates a 70 percent disability rating, warranting an initial evaluation higher than 50 percent for his service-connected anxiety disorder.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and anxiety disorder, has been remanded due to the need for additional development of his claims file.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is being remanded to the RO/AMC for further development, including consideration of a revised regulation and obtaining additional medical records. A VA examination will also be scheduled to determine if the Veteran has PTSD related to his military service.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to February 10, 2005 for the award of service connection for PTSD. The earliest evidence showing entitlement to this benefit is dated from August 16, 2006.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for PTSD has been dismissed due to his death.

The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent since April 17, 2008. He is also granted TDIU.

The Board has ordered additional development to obtain relevant medical records and a new opinion regarding the cause of the Veteran's death. The appeal is currently in remand status.

The Veteran's combined rating for his service-connected conditions is 60%, which does not meet the percentage requirements for TDIU under 38 C.F.R. § 4.16(a). However, he was found to be unemployable due to non-service-connected factors (divorce and stress), and his service-connected disabilities do not render him unable to secure or follow a substantially gainful occupation.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for right thigh scars and an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD. The claim of entitlement to service connection for right thigh scars was denied as new and material evidence had not been received. The claim for PTSD was denied due to a lack of credible supporting evidence that the in-service stressor occurred.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, to include schizophrenia; and a chronic skin rash, to include as due to herbicide exposure in service are denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not serve in Vietnam or have any combat experience there, nor was he exposed to herbicides during his military service.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development due to incomplete records, including VA and private clinical documentation of the Veteran's psychiatric treatment.