The Veteran's claim for an initial compensable rating for chest scars prior to October 25, 2018, and in excess of 10 percent thereafter is dismissed.,New and material evidence has not been received to reopen the claim of residuals of a right arm fracture. The petition to reopen is denied.,Service connection for PTSD is granted.,Service connection for thoracolumbar spine disability is granted.,Service connection for a right wrist disability is denied.
The deciding factor: The Veteran requested to withdraw his appeal regarding the initial compensable rating for chest scars prior to October 25, 2018, and in excess of 10 percent thereafter. The claim was dismissed as withdrawn.,Since no new and material evidence has been received since the September 2014 rating decision, the petition to reopen a claim of residuals of a right arm fracture is denied.,The Veteran's PTSD diagnosis is supported by medical evidence linking current symptoms to an in-service stressor. Service connection for PTSD is granted.,Service connection for thoracolumbar spine disability is granted based on the Veteran's diagnosed condition and credible supporting evidence that the claimed in-service stressor occurred.,There is no service connection established for a right wrist disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Thoracolumbar spine disability, Right wrist disability
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 18, 2020
- Citation
- 20080051
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,677 · Granted: 26% (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 20080051.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
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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