The Veteran's PTSD, back disability, and right knee disability are all granted as service-connected. The Board found that the stressor for PTSD occurred during active duty, and there is no indication of a superimposed injury or disease in service. The back condition was not shown to be related to service due to congenital defect without additional disability. The right knee disability does not appear to have been incurred in service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's PTSD stressor occurred during active duty, and there is no indication of a superimposed injury or disease in service. For his back condition, the Board concluded that it did not meet the criteria for presumptive service connection due to arthritis as it was not shown within one year of separation. The examiner opined that the Veteran's congenital L5 abnormality constituted a defect without additional disability during service. Regarding the right knee, there is no indication in the record that the condition was incurred or aggravated by active duty.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Back Disability, Right Knee Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 1, 2017
- Citation
- 1755440
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 1755440.
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 service-connected knee disabilities are rated at 10% each, and the Board finds that higher ratings are not warranted based on the evidence of record.
- 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.
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