PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) Board decisions

The veteran's PTSD was rated at 30 percent from July 7, 1988 to December 15, 1993 and upgraded to 50 percent from December 16, 1993 to August 9, 1995.

The Board has granted service connection for hypertension as secondary to PTSD and increased the evaluation of PTSD from 10% to 50%, effective September 18, 1998.

The Board found that the veteran's PTSD is currently manifested by feelings of guilt and nightmares, warranting a 50 percent rating. The claim for service connection for bilateral defective hearing and vision was legally insufficient.

The Board found that the veteran's claims for service connection for residuals of a head injury, including headaches, dizziness, and vertigo, as well as for tinnitus, are not well-grounded because there is no competent medical evidence linking these conditions to his period of active service.,For the issue of service connection for iritis and uveitis, the Board found that the veteran's claim was plausible but did not address whether it was well-grounded.

The Board denied a rating in excess of 10 percent for scar residuals of laceration with chronic pain and referred the issue of entitlement to a higher rating for PTSD to the RO. The veteran's other mental conditions, including PTSD, were not separately rated.

The Board has determined that a 70 percent evaluation for the veteran's service-connected PTSD is granted, reflecting significant impairment in work and social functioning.

The Board denied the veteran's claim of service connection for PTSD, finding that there was no credible evidence to support his assertions of combat exposure and stressors.

The Board has granted the veteran's claim for service connection for the cause of his death due to alcohol and drug abuse secondary to PTSD.

The Board denied the veteran's request for an earlier effective date of April 23, 1992, for his service connection for PTSD. The decision stated that there was no legal basis to assign an earlier effective date.

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for nasal scars, sinusitis, headaches, and post-traumatic stress disorder. The claim for an increased evaluation for nasal polyps secondary to allergic rhinitis was granted with a rating of 10 percent.

The Board determined that the veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, was not well grounded due to a lack of medical evidence of a current diagnosis and no nexus between the claimed condition and service.

The Board found no evidence of mustard gas exposure and concluded that the veteran's respiratory disability is not service-connected. The claim for PTSD was also denied as there was insufficient medical evidence linking current symptoms to a stressor related to military service.

The Board has granted a 30 percent evaluation for post-traumatic stress disorder and a 20 percent evaluation for cervical strain, finding that the appellant's symptoms are indicative of moderate impairment.

The veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent since May 25, 1996.,PTSD was previously rated as 50 percent from February 1, 1992 to May 24, 1996 and 70 percent prior to that date.

The Board denied the veteran's claim for an effective date prior to January 7, 1993, for a total rating for PTSD. The RO awarded him a total rating (100 percent disability) for his PTSD on January 7, 1993, based on VA hospitalization records showing he was unemployable at that time.

The Board has determined that new and material evidence has not been submitted to reopen the claim of service connection for PTSD. The appellant's previous claims were denied due to lack of combat experience, unverified stressors, and failure to meet diagnostic criteria for PTSD.

The veteran's PTSD was rated at 50 percent effective August 31, 1998.

The Board has determined that the veteran's PTSD is related to his service and granted service connection for this condition. The claim for reopening of a previously denied claim for jaundice due to hepatitis was also granted.

The Board has remanded the case due to a lack of active military service records and an unclear claim for PTSD. The appellant's claims will be reviewed again with additional information about his service and stressors.

The Board found that the veteran's PTSD resulted in definite social and industrial impairment, but not enough to warrant a higher rating. The disability was productive of no more than definite social and industrial impairment.