PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) Board decisions

The Board has granted service connection for PTSD and found that the veteran's current diagnosis of PTSD was incurred in service. The issues regarding increased ratings for right and left knee chondromalacia are remanded.

The veteran's PTSD has been productive of total occupational and social impairment since April 13, 2006, warranting a 100% evaluation.

The veteran's claim for an initial higher rating for service-connected PTSD is being remanded due to the need for additional VA treatment records and Social Security Administration (SSA) disability benefits information. The RO should also schedule a VA examination to assess the current severity of his PTSD.

The veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 70 percent, effective March 9, 2006. The claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 50 percent prior to that date was granted.

The veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 10 percent, reflecting occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks.

The veteran's claim for an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for PTSD was denied. Service connection for tinnitus was granted, but the veteran is seeking a higher initial rating.

The veteran's PTSD is productive of a disability picture that more nearly approximates occupational and social impairment, with deficiencies in most areas such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood, due to depression affecting the ability to function independently, impaired impulse control, and inability to establish and maintain effective relationships. The Board finds that the preponderance of the evidence is against entitlement to an increased rating.

The Board has granted service connection for the veteran's PTSD, finding that it is related to his combat experiences in Vietnam. The veteran's major depressive disorder was not separately service connected.

The veteran's PTSD and major depression are rated at the highest possible level (70%), while his scars, disarticulation of the left hip, and hypertension are each rated at their maximum levels. The claim for a higher rating for PTSD and major depression is granted.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims for additional development due to incomplete medical records and a need for further review.

The Board has determined that the veteran's PTSD is service-connected due to a sexual assault during her military service, and all reasonable doubt has been resolved in favor of the claim.

The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete service records and the need for further verification of in-service stressors. The veteran's claim will be reconsidered after these steps are completed.

The Board has determined that new evidence submitted since the last denial supports reopening of the claim for service connection for PTSD, but does not provide sufficient evidence to establish a verified in-service stressor necessary for service connection.

The Board denied the claim for an earlier effective date of July 1, 1992 for a 100% schedular rating for PTSD, finding that the earliest evidence showing the criteria for a 100% rating had been met was the May 1, 1992 admission report. The Board also noted that the temporary total rating in effect from May to June 30, 1992, made July 1, 1992 the earliest date allowable and proper effective date for the 100% rating.

The Board has granted an effective date of April 18, 1994 for the award of a 100 percent evaluation for service-connected PTSD.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, lumbar spine disability, headaches, upper respiratory disability, bilateral foot disorder, and OSA. The veteran was also denied entitlement to special monthly pension on account of being housebound or in need of aid and attendance due to his disabilities.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD, depression, and a sleep disorder due to lack of verified in-service stressors and no objective evidence supporting the claimed conditions. Service connection was not granted as the veteran did not engage in combat with the enemy.

The Board has remanded the veteran's claims for service connection due to incomplete information and need for additional evidence, including verification of stressors and VA examinations.

The veteran's PTSD and acquired psychiatric disability are not service-connected, as they were caused by a sexual assault after active service rather than the stress fracture in service. The rating for her right hip disabilities remains denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the veteran's claimed PTSD, including a lack of verification for specific stressors. The RO is instructed to obtain VA treatment records and attempt to verify the stressful events.