The Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and a psychiatric disorder other than PTSD have been reopened, with the acquired psychiatric disorder now encompassing both PTSD and depressive disorder. Service connection has been granted.,Service connection was also granted for a respiratory disorder, but the case is remanded due to insufficient evidence regarding the pre-service status of the Veteran's allergic rhinitis.
The deciding factor: The new evidence submitted by the Veteran related to his military sexual trauma and its impact on his current psychiatric conditions. The Board found that it was as least as likely as not that both PTSD and depressive disorder were related to his military service, including a personal assault.,Regarding the respiratory disorder, the VA examiner's opinion was inadequate because it did not address whether the Veteran’s allergic rhinitis pre-existed active duty service or if it permanently increased in severity during service.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Acquired Psychiatric Disorder, Depressive Disorder
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 20, 2019
- Citation
- 19120539
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,446 · Granted: 21% (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 19120539.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
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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