PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) Board decisions

The Board has ordered that all medical records, including VA outpatient treatment records and the summary of the Veteran's December 2007 VA hospitalization, should be requested. The case is now REMANDED for further action.

The Board finds that the Veteran's PTSD is most likely caused by or a result of in-service events, and grants service connection for PTSD.

The Board has remanded the case for further development, including verifying the Veteran's claimed stressors and obtaining a VA psychiatric and pulmonary examination to determine service connection for PTSD and asthma rating.

The Veteran's death was caused by non-service-connected lung cancer and emphysema, not his service-connected PTSD. Therefore, the claim for DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 is denied.

The Board found no evidence of a current diagnosis of the claimed conditions and determined that service connection was not warranted for any of the Veteran's claims.

The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for a grant of service connection for PTSD was denied by the RO. The appeal is currently pending and must be returned to the RO for further development.

The Veteran's PTSD warrants a staged increased rating of 50 percent for the period prior to January 19, 2006; from that date a rating in excess of 70 percent is not warranted.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim of service connection for PTSD. The Veteran's stressors, including explosions of ammunition and chemical alarms, will be verified by the JSRRC.

The Board has decided to grant the Veteran's claim for service connection for a chronic acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, depression, and bipolar disorder. The decision is based on evidence that supports a direct relationship between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for PTSD due to incomplete information provided by the Veteran regarding his claimed in-service stressors. The case is now pending with instructions to provide specific information and conduct further development as requested.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination and opinion regarding whether his current PTSD is related to handling dead and injured bodies during his tour of duty as a member of the United States Marine Corps in Vietnam.

The Board found that the Veteran's PTSD symptoms are not permanently disabling and therefore, a permanent TDIU is not warranted.

The Veteran's service-connected PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent, and the Board finds that it does not meet the criteria for a higher initial rating.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for a VA examination and the retrieval of treatment records. The issue remains whether he should receive an evaluation higher than 50 percent for his PTSD.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, a back disability, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus. The claim of skin disability was not addressed as it had already been previously denied.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development to clarify whether the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including PTSD and MDD, are related to his military service.

The Veteran withdrew his appeals for increased ratings on May 20, 2009.

The Veteran's PTSD was not incurred in or aggravated by any verified incident of active service. The schedular criteria for an initial disability rating greater than 20 percent for diabetes mellitus, an initial rating greater than 10 percent for hypertension, and initial ratings greater than 30 percent for diabetic retinopathy with glaucoma of the bilateral eyes, as well as initial ratings greater than 10 percent for peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity, right upper extremity, left lower extremity, and right lower extremity have not been met.

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD and cervical spine disability, finding that the Veteran's claims are supported by credible evidence of in-service stressors and medical nexus to service.

The Board determined that the service-connected PTSD did not contribute substantially or materially to the Veteran's death from esophageal cancer, and thus denied the claim for service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death.