The Veteran's PTSD has been productive of severe occupational and social impairment, with deficiencies in most areas, and an inability to establish and maintain effective relationships; however, the preponderance of the evidence is against a finding that the disability is productive of total occupational and social impairment.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's symptoms include depressed mood, chronic sleep impairment, intrusive thoughts, nightmares, flashbacks, difficulty getting close to others, hypervigilant behavior, extreme feelings of rage, decreased interest in pleasurable activities, and difficulty concentrating. These symptoms correspond with a GAF score of 50-51, indicating moderate to serious impairment.
- Claimed conditions
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) with bipolar II disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- March 13, 2009
- Citation
- 0909406
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 3,217 · Granted: 46% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0909406.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
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Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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- Denied
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- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected musculoligamentous strain, right knee, is currently rated at 10 percent and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is granted as the evidence shows a current diagnosis of PTSD, an in-service stressor, and a medical link between the two.
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