The Veteran's claims for PTSD, left knee disability, ankle disabilities, and special monthly compensation based on housebound status were granted effective February 18, 2014. The Board denied earlier effective dates as the evidence did not show a claim was filed prior to this date.,The Veteran attempted to file claims in October 2003, 2005, and 2014 but was told by VA employees that her service records could not be located or she would need to seek treatment at a VA medical facility. She provided lay statements supporting these attempts.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show the Veteran filed an informal claim prior to February 18, 2014.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Left knee, torn meniscus and anterior cruciate ligament, status-post surgery, Left ankle strain, Right ankle strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 23, 2019
- Citation
- 19165620
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,421 · Granted: 31% (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 19165620.
What this means for you
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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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