The Veteran's PTSD with alcohol dependence was manifested by symptoms such as depressed mood, anxiety, suspiciousness, panic attacks more than once a week, chronic sleep impairment, mild memory loss, flattened affect, impaired judgment, disturbances of motivation and mood, difficulty in establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships, and difficulty in adapting to stressful circumstances. The Veteran is not precluded from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation by reason of his service-connected PTSD with alcohol dependence.
The deciding factor: The VA examination revealed symptoms consistent with the criteria for a 50 percent disability rating under DC 9411, but did not meet the criteria for higher ratings due to lack of occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) with alcohol dependence
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- August 25, 2015
- Citation
- 1536396
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 1536396.
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's PTSD with alcohol dependence is currently rated at 30 percent, and the Board finds that a higher rating is not warranted based on the evidence of record.
- Granted
The Board granted an increased 70 percent disability rating for PTSD with alcohol dependence effective November 1, 2019, and an earlier effective date of November 1, 2019, for basic eligibility to Dependents' Educational Assistance under 38 U.S.C. Chapter 35.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's request for an earlier effective date for a 70 percent disability rating for PTSD with alcohol dependence and residuals of TBI with peripheral vestibular disorder, finding that the severity, frequency, and duration of his symptoms did not more closely approximate occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas prior to March 28, 2023.
- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted a 70 percent rating for PTSD with alcohol dependence prior to July 13, 2023, and the claim for a higher rating from that date was denied. The claims for earlier effective dates for TDIU and Dependents' Educational Assistance were also denied.
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