PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) Board decisions

The Veteran's PTSD is service connected as it was incurred during his military service.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development to determine the nature and etiology of his psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, and his degenerative arthritis of the feet. The claims will be reconsidered after this development.

The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, including OCD and depressive disorder NOS, is related to his service. His hypertension is not shown to be directly related to his service or service-connected PTSD.

The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and granted a disability rating of 70 percent for PTSD, effective from the date of the July 2010 VA examination.

The Board has determined that the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD due to MST, requires additional development and a remand. The case will be returned to the RO for further action.

The Board has restored the 20 percent ratings for the Veteran's right and left knee disabilities, effective November 1, 2008. The increased rating claims for both knees have been denied.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD, finding that the Veteran's account of his stressor was inconsistent with the circumstances of his service and did not meet diagnostic criteria for PTSD. The appeal regarding reduction in evaluation of coronary artery disease from February 2, 2009 to February 8, 2010 is dismissed as moot since a new rating decision has been issued. The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for coronary artery disease remains pending.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, manifested by depression and anxiety are being remanded due to the need for additional development including verification of stressors and examination.

The Veteran's appeal is REMANDED to the RO via the Appeals Management Center (AMC) for additional development, including obtaining Social Security Administration records and considering whether referral for an extraschedular rating or TDIU on an extraschedular basis is warranted.

The Board finds the evidence is at least in equipoise as it pertains to whether the Veteran has a current diagnosis of PTSD that is related to military stressors. The Veteran's service records show he served in Vietnam and experienced life-threatening events, witnessing death, prolonged periods of hyperarousal with perpetual fear from enemy attack, and experiencing symptoms such as severe sleep disturbances and nightmares.

The Board denied the claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of PTSD, finding that the Veteran did not meet all eligibility criteria for the liberalized benefit (PTSD) since April 11, 1980.

The Veteran's service connection claim for PTSD is granted as his current diagnosis of PTSD is associated with in-service stressors related to fear of hostile military activity.

The Veteran's PTSD with panic disorder has been rated at 50 percent, reflecting occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity. The appeal for an increased rating remains in appellate status.

The Board denied the Veteran's claim of CUE in the September 1993 rating decision that assigned an effective date of October 19, 1987 for the grant of service connection for PTSD and a 30 percent schedular evaluation.

The Veteran's PTSD with recurrent major depressive disorder was rated at 50 percent effective June 30, 2008. The Board denied a higher rating.

The Board has remanded the case for further development to determine if the Veteran's current psychiatric disorder, specifically posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), is related to service. The appellant must provide additional evidence and cooperate with VA in obtaining any relevant records.

The Veteran's memory loss is attributed to his service-connected PTSD, and not a separate condition.,His digestive problems are related to known clinical diagnoses of GERD and hiatal hernia.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for PTSD and Major Depressive Disorder, finding that there was no valid diagnosis of PTSD and insufficient evidence to establish a relationship between his current psychiatric conditions and military service.

The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including obtaining VA clinical records and scheduling a VA psychiatric examination to determine the severity of his service-connected PTSD. The issue of entitlement to TDIU will also be addressed.

The Veteran's TDIU claim is remanded due to the need for updated VA treatment records and a VA examination to assess his service-connected disabilities' impact on his employability.