PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) Board decisions

The Board denied the claims for service connection for residuals of head injury and PTSD, as well as the increased ratings for bilateral flat feet and hearing loss disability. The veteran's claim for service connection was reopened based on new and material evidence.

The Board finds that the veteran's account of exposure to enemy attack, including as the cause of injury to a service buddy in March 1963, is corroborated by reports from INSCOM. There is also competent and uncontradicted medical evidence confirming a diagnosis of PTSD related to stressful in-service events. Therefore, the claim for service connection for PTSD is granted.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development to obtain medical records and provide the veteran with proper VCAA notice.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for hepatitis C and an increased disability rating for PTSD. The veteran was not provided with adequate notice regarding effective dates, which is a separate issue from the merits of his claims.

The Board has determined that there is no legal entitlement to an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for PTSD, and thus the claim is denied.

The Board is remanding the case for additional development, including obtaining verification of enemy hostilities encountered by the veteran's units in Vietnam and seeking treatment records from VA facilities. The veteran will also be scheduled for a psychiatric examination to determine if he has PTSD stemming from an in-service stressor or any other chronic psychiatric disorder related to his period of military service. Additionally, the RO/AMC should obtain all records of the veteran's treatment for chronic prostatitis from the Palo Alto VA medical center and arrange for him to be examined by a VA examiner to determine the severity of his chronic prostatitis.

The veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was denied, and his TDIU claim was also denied as he does not meet the criteria for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claims of service connection for a back disability and PTSD have been denied as there is no medical evidence showing the presence of these conditions, and her statements are not considered competent evidence.

The VA determined that the veteran's PTSD does not warrant a rating in excess of 10 percent, as his symptoms do not meet the criteria for higher ratings under either the old or new VA Rating Schedule.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and an increased evaluation for coarctation of aorta with hypertension, finding that there was no evidence to support these claims. The veteran's retained surgical needle in chest is currently evaluated as noncompensable.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for PTSD and bronchial asthma, finding that the evidence does not support a higher rating based on the severity of his symptoms.

The Board dismissed the veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the grant of service connection for PTSD, as his June 1986 denial was final and binding on him based on the evidence then of record. The appeal is dismissed.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and a cervical spine disability, to include radiculopathy into the left upper extremity. The issues are not related to exposure to burn pits, Agent Orange, Camp Lejeune, radiation, Gulf War Syndrome, or any other specific environmental exposure.

The Board has decided to remand the case for further development and consideration, including reviewing all evidence of record and addressing any new evidence submitted by the veteran.

The Board of Veterans' Appeals has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD due to a lack of competent medical evidence of a current diagnosis of PTSD that conforms to DSM-IV criteria.

The Board has determined that the veteran's period of residence at COPIN House from May 13 to September 9 in 1989 does not constitute hospital treatment at an approved hospital for VA purposes, and thus, he is denied a temporary total disability rating under 38 C.F.R. § 4.29.

The Board has denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a back disorder and an initial evaluation beyond 40 percent for chronic fatigue syndrome. The issue of service connection for PTSD is not addressed in this decision.

The Board has determined that additional development is necessary to properly adjudicate the veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD, including obtaining records of any racial incidents and personal assault stressors from Westover Air Force Base, as well as a comprehensive psychiatric examination.

The veteran's PTSD disability is manifested by occupational and social impairment, with deficiencies in most areas such as work, family relations, thinking, and mood. The Board has determined that the schedular criteria for an initial evaluation of 70 percent for PTSD are met.

The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed stressor, witnessing fellow sailors being murdered while he stood helplessly on his vessel, is insufficiently definite to submit for research by the U.S. Army Joint Services Records Research Center (JSRRC). The RO will request JSRRC to conduct research of the ship logs and other documents of the USS Sterlet and USS Ranger to determine if any of the crew was killed at or near where the vessels were moored during a specific time period. If confirmed, an appropriate psychiatric examination will be arranged for the veteran to determine whether he currently suffers from PTSD as a result of the verified stressor.