Effective October 4, 2012, a 50 percent rating for anxiety disorder is granted. A 30 percent rating for hypothyroidism is granted. A 10 percent rating for residuals of TBI with intermittent dizziness is granted. A 10 percent rating for pityrosporum folliculitis is granted.
The deciding factor: The evidence supports a finding that the Veteran's disability picture for anxiety disorder has more nearly approximated occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity due to such symptoms as: flattened affect; circumstantial, circumlocutory, or stereotyped speech; panic attacks more than once a week; difficulty in understanding complex commands; impairment of short- and long-term memory (e.g., retention of only highly learned material, forgetting to complete tasks); impaired judgment; impaired abstract thinking; disturbances of motivation and mood; and difficulty in establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships.
- Claimed conditions
- Anxiety disorder, Hypothyroidism, Residuals of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Pityrosporum folliculitis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 22, 2020
- Citation
- 20080564
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 3,217 · Granted: 46% (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 20080564.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's appeal is remanded for further development, including obtaining records from the Lancaster Vet Center and private mental health professionals.
- Granted
The Board has restored the Veteran's disability rating for PTSD and TBI residuals from 70% to 70%, effective October 28, 2020. The reduction was improper due to a lack of evidence demonstrating improvement in the Veteran's condition.
- Denied
The Veteran's PTSD with major depressive disorder and TBI residuals are currently rated at 70 percent, effective February 14, 2019. The appeal for a higher rating is denied.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and depressive disorder. The evidence is at least in balance regarding whether his current conditions are related to his military service.
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