The Board has granted an earlier effective date of July 14, 2010 for service connection for PTSD with unspecified depressive disorder and alcohol use disorder. The issues of increased rating for PTSD prior to December 30, 2014 and in excess of 50 percent prior to July 7, 2015, entitlement to service connection for hearing loss, and TDIU are remanded.
The deciding factor: The earlier effective date was granted based on the Veteran's claim filed on July 14, 2010, which included diagnoses of PTSD, depression, and alcohol use disorder. The Board found that there was evidence to support an earlier effective date due to hospitalizations for PTSD symptoms in 2007 and 2010.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Depression, Alcohol Use Disorder
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 6, 2019
- Citation
- 19160777
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,913 · Granted: 30% (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 19160777.
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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