The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, characterized as PTSD and other than bipolar disorder, is related to his active service. Service connection for this condition is granted.
The deciding factor: The evidence supports a finding that the Veteran's psychiatric disorder may have pre-existed service but is not clear and convincing evidence of such. The statements from the Veteran regarding military sexual assault are credible as supported by other witnesses, in-service behavioral changes, and diagnosis of an adjustment reaction and depression.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic-stress disorder (PTSD), other than bipolar disorder
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 22, 2019
- Citation
- 19105090
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,948 · Granted: 29% (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 19105090.
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 Board granted a 70 percent rating for PTSD and a total disability evaluation due to individual unemployability (TDIU) from March 31, 2021.
- Granted
The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, claimed as PTSD, is rated at 50 percent effective August 13, 2014.
- Denied
The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent, and the Board has determined that a higher rating is not warranted. The Veteran also failed to meet the schedular criteria for TDIU as his combined overall rating was 50 percent throughout the period on appeal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the cause of death and whether service-connected PTSD contributed substantially or materially to the Veteran's death. The Appellant contends that alcohol abuse was related to his service-connected PTSD, which led to nonischemic alcohol cardiomyopathy resulting in his death.
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