The Board has granted a higher initial disability rating of 50 percent for PTSD, finding that the Veteran's symptoms more nearly approximate occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity.
The deciding factor: The VA examinations and treatment records consistently documented symptoms such as depressed mood, flattened affect, difficulty concentrating, and impaired impulse control, which are indicative of a 30 or 50 percent rating under the General Rating Formula for Mental Disorders. The Board found that these symptoms more nearly approximated the criteria for a 50 percent rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Benign prostatic hypertrophy, Erectile dysfunction (ED), Hepatitis C, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- December 11, 2015
- Citation
- 1552017
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 1552017.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for the cause of the Veteran's death, finding that there was no evidence linking his myocardial infarction and COPD to his military service.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for bladder cancer, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as there is no evidence to support a link between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bladder cancer, erectile dysfunction, and gouty arthropathy due to outstanding VA treatment records not being obtained. The Veteran's request for a referral to a urologist for ED is also remanded. A VA medical opinion is needed regarding the relationship between the Veteran's gouty arthropathy and his service-connected conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied a compensable initial rating for Hepatitis C, finding that the Veteran's condition was asymptomatic and did not meet the criteria for any higher rating.
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