The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date of service connection for PTSD is granted, with the earliest possible effective date being September 11, 2009.,The May 29, 2009 rating decision on DMII is revised to grant service connection as of March 13, 2009. The Veteran's appeal seeking an earlier effective date for this disability is dismissed as moot.
The deciding factor: The evidence established that the Veteran was diagnosed with PTSD in March 2009 and it was related to his active duty service.,The May 2009 rating decision incorrectly denied service connection for DMII due to a failure to apply the correct regulations, which would have resulted in a grant of service connection as of March 13, 2009.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), DMII
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 50%
- Decision date
- January 6, 2020
- Citation
- 20000710
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,874 · Granted: 33% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 20000710.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
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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