The Veteran's PTSD claim is reopened and granted. Headaches are not service-connected, but right knee tricompartmental osteoarthritis is secondary to his service-connected left knee conditions. The effective dates for the awards of service connection for left knee disabilities are set at May 2, 2013.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's PTSD claim was reopened due to new evidence showing an in-service stressor. Right knee tricompartmental osteoarthritis is secondary to his service-connected left knee conditions as the arthritis and instability shift the body's center of gravity towards the affected leg, causing lateral bending of the trunk.
- Claimed conditions
- PTSD, headaches, right knee tricompartmental osteoarthritis, left knee tricompartmental osteoarthritis and instability, back disability, left leg disability, acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- May 14, 2019
- Citation
- 19136903
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,480 · Granted: 26% (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 19136903.
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 of Veterans' Appeals has granted service connection for PTSD and Mood Disorders, both presumed conditions under the PACT Act.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has expanded the scope of the claim to include any mental health disorder raised by the record and has remanded for additional development regarding service connection for left leg, ankle, and psychiatric disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to incomplete development of records and will provide a supplemental statement of the case if necessary.
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