The Veteran's PTSD is service-connected.,His headaches are found to be secondary to his PTSD.,His low back disorder is service-connected as a result of injury in service.,No specific issues regarding bilateral knee or left hip disorders were addressed due to the withdrawal of appeal for these claims.,Tinnitus was granted based on combat exposure and noise trauma during service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran engaged in combat with the enemy, which established his eligibility for the relaxed evidentiary standard under 38 U.S.C.A. § 1154(b). The VA examiner provided a nexus opinion linking the current headaches to PTSD.,The Veteran's headaches are found to be secondary to his service-connected PTSD based on the June 2015 VA examination report, which noted that the etiology of the Veteran's headaches is stress and related to anxiety and panic attacks associated with PTSD.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Chronic Disability Manifested by Headaches, Low Back Disorder, Bilateral Knee Disorder, Left Hip Disorder, Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 21, 2017
- Citation
- 1723180
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 1723180.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
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