PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) Board decisions

The Board has reopened the veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD and found that new evidence submitted since the July 2002 denial relates to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim. However, there is no credible verification of the alleged stressors in service, and therefore, service connection for PTSD cannot be established.

The veteran's disability has remained the same throughout the appeal period, and the Board finds that a 100 percent evaluation for post-traumatic stress disorder should have been granted from September 8, 2001.

The Board has decided to remand the case due to incomplete evidence and need for further development, including obtaining service personnel records, VA treatment records, and verifying stressors. The veteran is also advised that he may be provided with a supplemental statement of the case if his claim remains denied.

The Board has remanded the case due to the need for a VA psychiatric examination to determine if the veteran currently has PTSD and whether it is related to service.

The veteran's low back pain and right lumbosacral radiculopathy were not incurred in or aggravated by service, nor may a neurological disorder manifested by right lumbosacral radiculopathy be presumed to have been incurred therein. PTSD was not incurred in or aggravated by service. The veteran's service-connected disabilities do not render him individually unemployable.

The veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, peripheral neuropathy of the right upper extremity, and peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity are being remanded for additional development.

The veteran's bilateral hearing loss is established as service-connected due to noise exposure during combat. However, there is no evidence of PTSD and the right shoulder scar does not meet criteria for a compensable rating.

The veteran seeks an effective date earlier than June 19, 2002 for the grant of service connection for PTSD. The Board finds that no such effective date can be granted as the claim was not appealed within one year from the final denial in February 1999.

The veteran's PTSD is granted as service-connected, but his major depression disorder claim is denied.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for a left knee disorder and PTSD. The claim for service connection for atrophy of the right testicle, right hand disorder, and benign masses was also denied as new and material evidence had not been received. Additionally, the veteran's duodenal ulcer disease with hiatal hernia, bilateral tinnitus, and bilateral hearing loss were all found to be without legal basis for a higher rating.

The Board denied service connection for PTSD and granted a 30 percent rating for post-operative residuals of a total right knee replacement, but the veteran's claim was reopened on new evidence.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 30 percent for PTSD and did not grant TDIU.

The Board has determined that the veteran's PTSD does not warrant an increased initial disability rating beyond the currently assigned 10 percent, as his symptoms do not meet the criteria for a higher evaluation.

The Board has granted service connection for post-traumatic stress disorder and assigned a 20 percent disability rating for complex partial seizure disorder.

The Board found that the veteran did not engage in combat and could not verify his claimed stressors. The VA diagnosed PTSD based on unverified stressor events, which were deemed insufficient to meet the criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD. As a result, service connection for PTSD was denied.

The Board has determined that the veteran does not have a diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and his Major Depressive Disorder is not service-connected.

The VA denied an increased disability rating for PTSD, finding that the veteran's symptoms were only mild and did not meet criteria for a higher rating.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an effective date earlier than July 10, 2003 for the grant of a 70 percent disability rating for PTSD, finding that no increase in his PTSD disability was factually ascertainable prior to this date.

The appeal is being remanded to the RO for scheduling a Travel Board hearing at the RO level.

The veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent, the highest available rating under the schedular criteria. An earlier effective date for a separate disability rating for left sciatic radiculopathy was denied.