The Veteran's PTSD resulted in mostly sad mood swings, recurring nightmares, crying episodes, depressed mood, narrow and constricted affect, non-persistent paranoid delusions, insomnia, panic attacks about once per month, suicidal ideation, irritability, mildly impaired recent memory, recurrent and distressing recollections of his Vietnam combat stressor, intense psychological distress at exposure to cues of the traumatic event, avoidance of thoughts or stimuli associated with the trauma, inability to recall an important aspect of the trauma, feelings of detachment or estrangement from others, hypervigilance, including sleeping on the floor near the door to make sure that no one enters his home, exaggerated startle response, flashbacks, depression, inability to sustain an intimate relationship, anxiety, concentration and memory impairment, anger which has caused impulsivity and led to physical altercations, disturbances of motivation and mood, and difficulty in establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships. These symptoms have resulted in occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's PTSD symptoms consistently met the criteria for a 70 percent disability rating under the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders (DC 9411).
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- October 17, 2013
- Citation
- 1332186
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 1332186.
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
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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