The Board granted service connection for PTSD and granted initial ratings for various conditions, including left shoulder DJD, left knee DJD, right knee DJD, bilateral plantar fasciitis, left and right ankle DJD, and hiatal hernia with GERD. The claim of service connection for a left elbow disorder was dismissed due to the Veteran's withdrawal of his appeal.
The deciding factor: The Veteran provided credible testimony regarding combat stressors during service, which supported the diagnosis of PTSD. His symptoms were consistent with the criteria for PTSD as diagnosed in service and related to his military experience.
- Claimed conditions
- left elbow epicondylitis, degenerative joint disease (DJD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), left shoulder DJD, left knee DJD, right knee DJD, bilateral plantar fasciitis with status post left heel spur removal, left and right ankle DJD, hiatal hernia with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 2, 2019
- Citation
- 19124006
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,515 · Granted: 20% (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 19124006.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder and PTSD. The Veteran will be asked to provide additional medical records and undergo a VA examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and major depressive disorder, is being remanded due to the need for additional development regarding his alleged stressors.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development regarding the Veteran's service connection claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
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