The Veteran's claim for service connection for epilepsy, grand mal seizures was denied due to lack of new and material evidence. The Board also found that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for PTSD as his in-service stressors were deemed insufficient under the DSM-V criteria. His claim for service connection for Generalized Anxiety Disorder is remanded for further examination.
The deciding factor: The VA psychologist's opinion was based on an objective standard, which does not align with the DSM-V criteria for diagnosing PTSD.
- Claimed conditions
- Epilepsy, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 19, 2018
- Citation
- 18159216
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 18159216.
What this means for you
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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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