The veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of February 2, 1998 for a 50 percent evaluation for PTSD with dysthymia is granted based on the informal claim he made in February 1998.
The deciding factor: The VA outpatient record from February 2, 1998 constituted an informal claim for an increased rating, which preceded any ascertainable increase in disability and thus triggered a retroactive effective date of February 2, 1998.
- Claimed conditions
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) with dysthymia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 27, 2003
- Citation
- 0301480
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,196 · Granted: 17% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0301480.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The VA denied the veteran's claim for an increased rating for his PTSD with dysthymia, as it found that the condition caused occupational and social impairment but did not result in significant deficiencies in most areas.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board found that the veteran did not engage in combat with an enemy and his PTSD was not service-connected as it is not related to a verified stressor. The VA medical records do not show any diagnosis of PTSD during or after service, and there is no credible evidence supporting a stressor related to military service.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board found that the veteran's overpayment of VA benefits was not against equity and good conscience, as his fault in creating the debt contributed to its creation. Recovery would not defeat the purpose of his compensation benefits, nor result in unjust enrichment or relinquishment of valuable rights.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the veteran's request for an effective date prior to October 31, 1997 for a 50% disability rating for PTSD with dysthymia. The RO had previously increased the rating from non-compensable to 30%, and then to 50% effective October 31, 1997.
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