The Veteran's PTSD with persistent depressive disorder is currently rated as 100% disabling, effective July 17, 2017. The Board denied an earlier effective date prior to this date.,Service connection for a right shoulder disability was not granted due to lack of evidence showing the presence of such a condition during service or at any time thereafter.,The Veteran's degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine is found to be related to service, and service connection is granted.
The deciding factor: The cumulative evidence does not show that the Veteran experienced symptoms indicative of total occupational and social impairment due to PTSD prior to July 17, 2017. The Board concluded that his PTSD did not meet the criteria for a 100% rating prior to this date.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Right Shoulder Disability, Degenerative Arthritis of the Lumbar Spine
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- January 10, 2019
- Citation
- 19102555
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,861 · Granted: 27% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19102555.
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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