The Veteran's appeal for PTSD was dismissed due to his withdrawal of the claim.,The Veteran's claims for service connection for degenerative joint disease and disc disease of the neck / cervical spine, anxiety disorder, cephalgia, bilateral hearing loss, heart disability, pulmonary disability, and stroke pathology/_residuals were granted.
The deciding factor: The Veteran withdrew his appeal seeking to establish entitlement to service connection for PTSD.,The evidence is at least in equipoise with regard to showing that the Veteran’s current degenerative joint disease and disc disease of the neck / cervical spine is etiologically linked to his documented in-service head injury and documented in-service neck symptoms.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Degenerative Joint Disease and Disc Disease of the Neck / Cervical Spine, Anxiety Disorder, Cephalgia, Posttraumatic, with History of Posttraumatic Convulsive Disorder, Bilateral Hearing Loss, Heart Disability, Pulmonary Disability, Stroke Pathology/Residuals of Stroke
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 15, 2020
- Citation
- 20040519
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 20040519.
What this means for you
A dismissal means the Board did not decide the issue on its merits — usually because it was withdrawn or had become moot. It says more about procedure than about whether a claim like this can win.
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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