The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including PTSD, cervical spine issues, fibromyalgia, and others, prevent him from obtaining and maintaining substantially gainful employment.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's combined disability rating is 90 percent due to his service-connected conditions, which are sufficient to preclude him from securing or following substantially gainful employment.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Cervical spine degenerative disc disease and degenerative joint disease, Fibromyalgia, Lumbar spine degenerative joint disease, degenerative disc disease and intervertebral disc syndrome with perineural cyst within the upper sacral spinal canal, Left knee patellofemoral syndrome with internal derangement, Tinnitus, Urticaria, Sciatic radiculopathy, left leg, Sciatic radiculopathy, right leg, Hypertension
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 90%
- Decision date
- March 26, 2019
- Citation
- 19121317
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,017 · Granted: 36% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19121317.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
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