The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a right shoulder disorder and an increased rating for PTSD. The Veteran's current right shoulder disorder is not considered to be related to his military service, while his PTSD has been rated at 70 percent since March 20, 2014.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the evidence did not support a finding of an in-service incurrence or aggravation of a right shoulder disorder and concluded that the Veteran's current right shoulder disorder was more likely unrelated to service. For PTSD, the Board noted that while the Veteran had occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity, no higher rating could be assigned as his symptoms did not meet the criteria for a 70 percent or higher evaluation.
- Claimed conditions
- Right Shoulder Disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- February 12, 2016
- Citation
- 1605682
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 1605682.
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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