The Veteran's claim for PTSD was granted with an effective date of December 16, 2016. The CAD claim has been reopened due to new and material evidence received since the September 2013 rating decision. The low back condition is denied as not related to service. The CAD, diverticulosis, and GERD claims are remanded for further evaluation.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the effective date of PTSD was properly assigned from December 16, 2016, which is when VA received the Veteran's initial claim. For CAD, new evidence submitted since September 2013 raised a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim and reopened it. The low back condition was denied as not related to service due to lack of medical evidence linking it to service or post-service treatment. The CAD, diverticulosis, and GERD claims are remanded for further evaluation.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), Degenerative Arthritis of the Low Back
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 28, 2020
- Citation
- 20006889
Veterans Law Judge
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 20006889.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
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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