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Granted

The veteran's PTSD was granted service connection effective September 2, 1997. The RO assigned a higher rating for the psychiatric disability from that date.,From September 2, 1997 to November 13, 2000, the veteran's PTSD was manifested by reduced reliability and productivity due to symptoms such as flattened affect, panic attacks, disturbances of motivation and mood, and difficulty establishing social relationships. The RO assigned a rating of 50 percent for this period.,From September 23, 1999 to November 13, 2000, the veteran's chronic lumbosacral strain was manifested by limitation of motion and muscle spasm. The RO assigned a rating of 20 percent for this period.,On and after November 14, 2000, the veteran's chronic lumbosacral strain included degenerative joint disease and disc disease, resulting in severe limitation of motion. The RO assigned a rating of 40 percent for this period.

The deciding factor: The veteran's PTSD was initially misdiagnosed as schizophrenic reaction but later diagnosed as PTSD based on VA examination findings.

Claimed conditions
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Chronic Lumbosacral Strain
How they argued it
Not specified
Exposure basis
None
Rating
Not verified here — check the original decision
Decision date
May 29, 2003
Citation
0310270

Veterans Law Judge

ANDREW J. MULLEN

Decisions by this judge: 1,643 · Granted: 15% (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 0310270.

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