The Veteran's PTSD symptoms are not productive of total occupational and social impairment, but his hypertension is not related to his service-connected PTSD. The claim for a rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD remains denied. New and material evidence has been submitted to reopen the claim of service connection for hypertension, but service connection cannot be established as there is no medical evidence linking the Veteran's hypertension to his service-connected PTSD.
The deciding factor: The medical opinion regarding a nexus between the Veteran's service connected PTSD and hypertension is new and material evidence, but the persuasive medical evidence does not show that hypertension is related to PTSD.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Hypertension
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 22, 2010
- Citation
- 1043808
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 1043808.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- 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.
- Denied
The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 50% since March 23, 2004. The Board found that a higher rating is not warranted prior to February 15, 2005 due to the severity of his symptoms and their impact on his social and occupational functioning.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and any acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between his current mental health conditions and his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD resulted in occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity, warranting a 70% disability rating. The Veteran also met the criteria for a TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.
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