The Veteran's PTSD with unspecified depressive disorder is granted at a 70 percent rating, effective from the date of the decision. The Veteran's service connection for Degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the cervical spine is remanded.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran’s cervical spine condition was less likely than not incurred in or caused by his active duty service due to lack of objective evidence of injuries in service and the short duration of his military service. The examiner's opinion was deemed inadequate as it did not consider the Veteran's lay reports of two motor vehicle accidents.
- Claimed conditions
- PTSD with unspecified depressive disorder, Degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the cervical spine
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- July 6, 2018
- Citation
- 18116700
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 18116700.
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 PTSD with unspecified depressive disorder, migraine headaches, and OSA are all granted as secondary to his service-connected psychiatric disorder. The rating assigned is a 100 percent initial rating for the entire period on appeal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the case to have the agency of original jurisdiction adjudicate the claim for an earlier effective date for service connection for PTSD with unspecified depressive disorder.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for a cervical spine disability and lumbar spine disability as further development is needed to obtain an adequate medical opinion.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for PTSD and remanded the claims for degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine, left upper extremity radiculopathy, and right upper extremity radiculopathy.
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