The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is granted, effective from the date of separation from active duty.,The Veteran's claims for anxiety and tinnitus are denied as they were not received within one year after separation from service. The Board grants an effective date of September 5, 2013, for these conditions.,Service connection for left hand disability, right hand disability, right leg disability, left ankle disability, and right ankle disability is granted.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss and sleep apnea is denied.,The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for anxiety is granted.
The deciding factor: PTSD was diagnosed based on the Veteran's combat experiences in Afghanistan. The Board found that the Veteran has a current diagnosis of PTSD, which began during service and is related to his military service.,The claims for anxiety and tinnitus were not received within one year after separation from service, so an effective date prior to September 5, 2013, was denied as they are considered new claims filed after the one-year period. The Board granted an effective date of September 5, 2013.,The Veteran's hand and ankle disabilities were diagnosed during active duty or within a year of separation from service. Therefore, these conditions are presumed to be related to his military service.,Service connection for bilateral hearing loss and sleep apnea was denied as there is no evidence linking the conditions to the Veteran's military service.,The Veteran's anxiety disorder has been diagnosed and is considered disabling due to its severity.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Anxiety, Tinnitus, Left Hand Disability, Right Hand Disability, Right Leg Disability, Left Ankle Disability, Right Ankle Disability, Bilateral Hearing Loss, Sleep Apnea
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 6, 2019
- Citation
- 19160441
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,677 · 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 19160441.
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.
- 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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