PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) Board decisions

The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient verification of in-service stressors and a need for further examination.

The veteran's PTSD was initially evaluated as 10 percent disabling from September 27, 2001, to July 6, 2004. Since then, he has been rated at 30 percent for the condition.

The Board has reopened the claim for service connection of PTSD and determined that new evidence supports a diagnosis of PTSD related to in-service stressors. The veteran's current psychiatric disability is diagnosed as PTSD, which developed from witnessing an aircraft crash during active duty.

The Board has determined that further development is needed, including verifying the veteran's claimed stressors and scheduling a VA psychiatric examination. The case will be returned to the Board for readjudication.

The Board has granted service connection for hepatitis C, finding that the veteran's current diagnosis is related to his in-service receipt of tattoos. Service connection for PTSD was not addressed due to a lack of evidence.

The Board is requesting additional development to determine if the veteran has hypertension and whether it is related to service. The claims for arthritis of the right upper arm and shoulder, PTSD, and reopening of a claim for hypertension will be reconsidered based on this new information.

The VA has determined that the veteran's PTSD warrants a disability rating of 50 percent from September 19, 2001 to July 6, 2003.

The veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for the establishment of service connection for PTSD was denied as there is no legal basis to award such a date. The appeal regarding competency was found to be competent.

The veteran's case is being remanded for a hearing before a Veterans Law Judge at the RO in Cleveland, Ohio. The Board will then return it to the AMC for further action.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development of evidence, including verifying a claimed in-service stressor related to PTSD and obtaining medical opinions regarding the diagnosis and etiology of PTSD.

The veteran's appeal for more than a 10 percent rating for tinnitus has been dismissed as he did not submit a Substantive Appeal. The Board does not have jurisdiction to decide this issue.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including verifying the veteran's claimed stressors and scheduling a VA psychiatric examination to determine if he meets the criteria for PTSD.

The Board found that the appellant does not meet the criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD and therefore denied service connection for PTSD.

The Board has granted the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and TDIU, effective from February 27, 1998. However, it found that neither claim had an earlier effective date due to lack of evidence supporting such a determination.

The veteran's PTSD has been rated at 70 percent since September 12, 2002. The rating is based on the current manifestations of the condition.

The Board denied the veteran's claims of entitlement to increased ratings for his PTSD, finding that the evidence did not meet the criteria for a higher rating prior to March 16, 2005 and from March 16, 2005.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased evaluations for his service-connected PTSD and bilateral hearing loss, finding that the evidence did not support ratings in excess of 50 percent for these conditions.

The veteran's claim for a higher rating for PTSD was denied as his symptoms did not meet the criteria for a 100% disability rating due to total occupational and social impairment. The VA examination scheduled in February 2005 was missed by the veteran, leading to denial of this specific issue.

The Board has determined that the veteran did not incur PTSD during service or as a result of events during service, and thus denied his claim for service connection.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD because there was no credible evidence of an in-service stressor, and the veteran did not engage in combat with the enemy during his active duty service.