The Veteran's PTSD is rated at 70 percent, effective December 11, 2019. The appeal for higher ratings prior to this date was denied.
The deciding factor: The Veteran’s PTSD did not present occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas before December 11, 2019, warranting a 30 percent rating. Since then, it has caused such impairment but not total occupational and social impairment, warranting the current 70 percent rating.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Right upper extremity diabetic neuropathy, Left upper extremity diabetic neuropathy, Type II diabetes mellitus, Right lower extremity diabetic neuropathy, Left lower extremity diabetic neuropathy, Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- October 14, 2020
- Citation
- 20066510
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,669 · Granted: 23% (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 20066510.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
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