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Denied

The Veteran's psychiatric disability, diagnosed as PTSD, has been rated at 50 percent since the initial rating decision. The Board found that her symptoms did not meet the criteria for a higher rating due to occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity.

The deciding factor: The Veteran’s symptoms were consistent with a 50% rating throughout the period on appeal, as they did not cause deficiencies in most areas such as work, school, family relationships, judgment, thinking or mood.

Claimed conditions
PTSD, depression, anxiety, chronic sleep impairment, mild memory loss, disturbances in motivation and mood
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
50%
Decision date
October 31, 2019
Citation
19182614

Veterans Law Judge

B.T. KNOPE

Decisions by this judge: 1,948 · Granted: 29% (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 19182614.

What this means for you

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What you can do next

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