The Board has granted service connection for unspecified trauma and stressor related disorder, finding that the Veteran's symptoms are related to his in-service exposure. The condition is rated at its highest possible level (100%) due to its severity.
The deciding factor: The VA psychologist opined that the Veteran’s unspecified trauma and stressor related disorder was related to a specific in-service stressor involving explosive exposure during annual training, resolving reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.
- Claimed conditions
- Unspecified trauma and stressor related disorder, MDD (recurrent, moderate)
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 1, 2020
- Citation
- A20015148
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,242 · Granted: 24% (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 A20015148.
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
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran is granted an initial rating of 70 percent for his unspecified trauma and stressor related disorder, reflecting significant occupational and social impairment.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's TDIU and SMC claims are denied as he does not have a single service-connected disability rated at 60% or more, nor is his TDIU based on a single disability. The Board found that the Veteran has multiple disabilities but no single disability rated as total.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) but denied service connection for PTSD and a higher rating for the unspecified trauma and stressor related disorder/major depressive disorder/insomnia.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board granted an increased initial rating of 50 percent for the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, to include posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and an unspecified trauma and stressor related disorder.
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