The Veteran's PTSD resulted in occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas, warranting a rating of 70 percent from November 22, 2013. The appeal is remanded for further evaluation on the issues of increased ratings for various conditions.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's symptoms include suicidal ideation, inability to establish and maintain effective relationships, disturbances of motivation and mood, difficulty in establishing and maintaining effective work and social relationships, panic attacks more than once a week, impaired judgment, forgetting directions, forgetting recent events, mild memory loss, depressed mood, chronic sleep impairment, anxiety, suspiciousness, occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks (although generally functioning satisfactorily, with routine behavior, self-care, and conversation normal).
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Bilateral Hearing Loss, Cardiac Disorder, Sleep Apnea, Low Back Disorder, Right Ankle Disorder, Left Ankle Disorder, Cervical Disorder, Radiculopathy of the Right Lower Extremity, Radiculopathy of the Left Lower Extremity, Bilateral Pes Planus, Hypertension, Headaches
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 21, 2021
- Citation
- 21064666
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 21064666.
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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