The Veteran's appeal of an earlier effective date for PTSD is dismissed.,An initial 70 percent rating for PTSD is granted.,Service connection for IHD is denied due to lack of a current diagnosis and no evidence linking it to service or herbicide exposure.,Service connection for valvular heart disease, including as secondary to PTSD, is remanded due to insufficient examination addressing these conditions.,The Veteran's skin condition remains under appeal.
The deciding factor: The Veteran withdrew his appeal of the earlier effective date for PTSD during a hearing. The Board dismissed the claim as moot.,The evidence shows occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas, warranting a 70 percent rating for PTSD.,There is no current diagnosis of IHD; service connection cannot be established on direct or secondary basis due to lack of a current disability.,The VA examination did not address the valvular heart disease and its relation to PTSD. The Veteran's atrial fibrillation may also be related to PTSD, warranting further evaluation.,The skin condition remains under appeal.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD), Valvular heart disease, Skin condition
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 9, 2021
- Citation
- 21041592
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 21041592.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
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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