The Veteran's PTSD with unspecified depressive disorder is granted an initial 70 percent rating, but no higher. The Veteran's chronic thoracolumbar strain remains remanded for further evaluation.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's PTSD symptoms have more nearly approximated occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas, such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood, warranting a 70 percent rating. The initial 10 percent rating for chronic thoracolumbar strain is remanded due to inadequate examination.
- Claimed conditions
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) with unspecified depressive disorder, Chronic thoracolumbar strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- July 20, 2023
- Citation
- 23039981
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 23039981.
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.
- Partly granted
The Board denied an increased rating for PTSD and TBI, granted a 50% rating for migraines from October 17, 2021, but denied ratings in excess of 50% for both conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied increased evaluations for PTSD, left shoulder strain, lumbosacral strain, radiculopathy of the LLE sciatic nerve, and strains of both knees.
- Denied
The Veteran's PTSD with unspecified depressive disorder, migraine headaches, back disability, left knee limitation of flexion, left shin splints, GERD, nephrolithiasis, PFB, and ED are all rated at the maximum available rating (50%) for each condition.
- Denied
This decision denies an initial evaluation in excess of 40 percent for chronic thoracolumbar strain, to include degenerative disc disease, IVDS, and status post lumbar discectomy fusion. It also denies a higher initial evaluation for radiculopathy of the right lower extremity. The Veteran's left lower extremity radiculopathy is granted an initial evaluation of 20 percent prior to April 27, 2016, but denied any increase since that date.
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