The Veteran's claim for PTSD was reopened, service connection for schizophreniform disorder is granted, hypertension and lumbar spine disorder are denied, and a 10% rating is assigned for tinnitus with an effective date of February 5, 2015.
The deciding factor: New evidence received since the last denial supports the Veteran's claim for PTSD, leading to its reopening. Service connection was granted for schizophreniform disorder based on credible supporting evidence that it began during service. The preponderance of evidence is against finding hypertension or a chronic headache disorder related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Hypertension, Lumbar spine disorder, Chronic headache disorder
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 10%
- Decision date
- June 18, 2019
- Citation
- 19147139
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,350 · 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 19147139.
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 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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