The Board dismissed the Veteran's appeals for earlier effective dates and service connection claims due to procedural issues, as well as denied his claim of a reduction in PTSD rating. The appeal was not addressed further.
The deciding factor: The RO failed to follow proper procedures for reducing the Veteran's PTSD disability rating, resulting in an invalid reduction.
- Claimed conditions
- irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), coronary artery disease (CAD), left knee disability, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), shortness of breath, headaches, left elbow disability, right elbow disability, low back disability, right knee disability, neck disability, chromosome-damaged sterility
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 23, 2018
- Citation
- 1817702
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 1817702.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded for additional development, including a new VA examination to assess his bilateral knee and hip disabilities.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete development of records and will provide a supplemental statement of the case if necessary.
- Partly granted
The Board has not made a final determination on the claims of service connection for inguinal hernia, PTSD, joint pain, fibromyalgia, left knee disability, right knee disability, tinnitus, chronic fatigue syndrome, respiratory disability, sleep disorder, IBS, and headaches. The claims are remanded to obtain additional evidence and determine if these conditions are related to service.
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