The Veteran's PTSD claim has been withdrawn.,Prior to January 15, 2015, the low back disability warranted a rating of 10 percent. From January 15, 2015 to December 16, 2015, it warranted a rating of 20 percent. Since then, it has not met the criteria for a higher rating.,Since January 15, 2015, the right lower extremity lumbar radiculopathy has been rated at 20 percent.,Bilateral hearing loss does not meet the criteria for a compensable rating.,Hypertension has not met the criteria for a higher rating.,Residual scars from basal cell epithelioma have warranted a 30 percent rating since March 6, 2013.,The Veteran is unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment due to his service-connected disabilities.
The deciding factor: The Veteran explicitly withdrew the claim for PTSD in March 2014 and has not pursued it further. The RO readjudicated the issue, finding that the withdrawal was unclear but ultimately granted the request.,Prior to January 15, 2015, the low back disability resulted in forward flexion of less than 80 degrees and a combined range of motion less than 220 degrees. Since then, it has resulted in limited forward flexion with pain between 31 and 60 degrees.,Since January 15, 2015, the right lower extremity lumbar radiculopathy has caused some loss of sensation and moderate pain.,Bilateral hearing loss results in level I hearing loss in the right ear and level II hearing loss in the left ear throughout the claims period.,Systolic pressure has been over 160 but under 200, and diastolic pressure has been over 100 but under 110. The Veteran's hypertension is not severe enough to warrant a higher rating.,The residual scar from basal cell epithelioma is characterized by slight distortion of the nose and hyperpigmentation with an area of 8 square centimeters, warranting a 30 percent rating since March 6, 2013.,The Veteran's service-connected disabilities render him unable to secure or follow substantially gainful employment.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Degenerative arthritis and degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the thoracic and lumbar spines, Lumbar radiculopathy
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 28, 2018
- Citation
- 1812422
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 1812422.
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.
- 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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