The Veteran's PTSD was found to be productive of occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas such as work, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood due to symptoms including Vietnam War-related intrusive nightmares, thoughts, and flashbacks; irritability with angry outbursts; anxiety; hypervigilance; an exaggerated startle response; feelings of detachment and estrangement from others; survivor's guilt; impaired sleep, memory, judgment, insight, attention, and impulse control; thought content consistent with the presence of homicidal ideation; a pattern of ongoing intermittent impulsive homicidal ideation; disturbances of motivation and mood; difficulty in establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships; difficulty in adapting to stressful circumstances including at work or in a work-like setting; and Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scores of between 39 and 55. A 70 percent evaluation for PTSD was granted.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's PTSD symptoms, including intrusive thoughts, anger, hypervigilance, and homicidal ideation, significantly impaired his occupational and social functioning.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- December 10, 2014
- Citation
- 1454489
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 1454489.
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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