The Veteran's appeal has been remanded for further development regarding his service connection claims and rating issues. The Veteran wishes to withdraw his claim for a disability rating in excess of 30 percent for PTSD.
The deciding factor: The Veteran withdrew his appeal for the increased rating for PTSD prior to the Board making a decision.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), left knee with water joint pain, right knee with water joint pain, left shoulder joint pain, right shoulder joint pain, left elbow bursitis, left wrist sprain, right wrist sprain, left hip joint pain, right hip joint pain, left ankle sprain joint pain, right ankle sprain joint pain, shooting pain in left arm, shooting pain in right arm, shooting pain in left leg, shooting pain in right leg, right hand pinky finger, sinus polyps, skin cancer (actinic keratosis), obstructive sleep apnea, shrapnel wound in upper and lower lip
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 15, 2019
- Citation
- 19128678
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,963 · Granted: 32% (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 19128678.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
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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