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Denied

The Veteran's appeal was denied for increased ratings of his posttraumatic stress disorder and lumbar strain, as well as entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities. The Board found that the evidence did not support higher ratings during the periods in question.

The deciding factor: The Veteran's symptoms were evaluated against the criteria for each assigned rating level under Diagnostic Code 9411, and it was determined that his posttraumatic stress disorder did not meet or approximate the criteria for a higher initial disability rating since March 5, 2015. The Board also found no evidence of other related factors warranting an extraschedular evaluation.

Claimed conditions
posttraumatic stress disorder
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
None in this decision
Decision date
February 8, 2017
Citation
1703815

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 1703815.

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