PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) decisions — 2012

The Veteran's appeal is remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining his VA Vocational Rehabilitation folders and scheduling a new VA examination.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was granted effective from April 28, 1998. The appeal is granted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for further development, including a new VA examination and the acquisition of any outstanding treatment records.

The Veteran's appeal is being returned to the RO for scheduling a hearing before a Veterans Law Judge at his local RO in Montgomery, Alabama. The Veteran missed an earlier scheduled hearing due to difficulties with service-connected PTSD and has requested another hearing via videoconference.

The Board has determined that additional development is needed to determine if the Veteran's PTSD is related to his service, and therefore remands the case for further action.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA treatment records and scheduling a new examination to assess the severity of his service-connected PTSD.

The claim for DIC benefits under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1318 is denied as the Veteran did not meet the criteria of having a total disability rating continuously for at least ten years prior to death or being entitled to receive compensation due solely to clear and unmistakable error in a VA decision concerning service connection, disability evaluation, or effective date.

The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the claim of entitlement to service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claimed PTSD is not incurred in service as there is no credible supporting evidence of an in-service stressor.

The Board has found new and material evidence sufficient to reopen the previously denied claim for service connection for PTSD. The Veteran's psychiatric disability, including PTSD and OCD, is now considered for service connection.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability other than PTSD, to include paranoid schizophrenia, was not incurred in active service, including as due to herbicide exposure.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, major depression and depressive disorder, NOS is being remanded to allow the Veteran to schedule a videoconference hearing with a member of the Board.

The Board has remanded the case due to a regulation change and further development is needed, including obtaining SSA records and clinician's records.

The Board has determined that an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for PTSD is not warranted, as there was no informal claim prior to August 23, 2008. The Veteran's petition to reopen his claim for service connection for PTSD was received on this date.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development and readjudication of his claims, including obtaining additional VA treatment records and addressing the issues of service connection for PTSD and entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.

The Board has remanded the case for further development due to issues related to the Veteran's service connection claims, including a need to provide additional information and evidence regarding his PTSD claim.

The Board found that the submitted evidence did not raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim for service connection for PTSD, and thus denied reopening of the claim.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD is currently rated at 70 percent disabling effective February 13, 2008. The Veteran also meets the criteria for a TDIU effective February 13, 2008.

The Board has remanded the case due to failure to obtain unit records and morning reports for the Veteran's service in Vietnam, as well as a need for another VA examination to determine if any psychiatric disability is related to service. The claim will be reconsidered based on the relaxation of stressor verification requirements during wartime.

The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 30 percent since August 13, 2007. The rating reflects occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent inability to perform occupational tasks.