The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for PTSD with depression prior to October 27, 2010 is denied.,The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of her left knee patellofemoral syndrome and right knee patellofemoral syndrome are denied as the evidence does not show flexion limited to 15 degrees.,The Veteran's claim for an increased evaluation of her left knee instability is denied as the evidence does not show moderate or severe instability.,The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of her right knee patellofemoral syndrome and right knee instability are denied as the evidence does not show flexion limited to 15 degrees.,The Veteran's claim for an initial increased rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD with depression is denied.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for left eye optic neuropathy and left wrist carpal tunnel syndrome are denied.,The Veteran's claim for a TDIU prior to December 8, 2010 is denied.
The deciding factor: There is no clear evidence that the Veteran submitted her PTSD claim earlier than October 27, 2010. The presumption of regularity applies and the effective date must be fixed in accordance with the facts found.,The clinical findings by medical professionals do not support a finding that the Veteran's left knee flexion is limited to 15 degrees for an increased evaluation.,The clinical findings by medical professionals do not support a finding that the Veteran's right knee instability is moderate or severe for an increased evaluation.,The clinical findings by medical professionals do not support a finding that the Veteran's right knee flexion is limited to 15 degrees for an increased evaluation.,There is no clear evidence of record supporting a higher initial rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD with depression.,There is no clear evidence of record supporting service connection for left eye optic neuropathy or left wrist carpal tunnel syndrome.,The Veteran does not have precluded from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation due to service-connected disabilities prior to December 8, 2010.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Left Knee Patellofemoral Syndrome, Left Knee Instability, Right Knee Patellofemoral Syndrome, Right Knee Instability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 2, 2017
- Citation
- 1749783
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 1749783.
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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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