The Veteran's claim for PTSD was granted, with the Board finding that his service-connected left shoulder disability may have aggravated his right shoulder condition. The Veteran's claim for reopening of a right shoulder condition was also granted.,The Veteran's right shoulder condition is being remanded to obtain additional medical records and to provide an opinion on whether it is at least as likely as not related to his service-connected left shoulder disability.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's PTSD, diagnosed during his deployment in Iraq, was related to his military service stressors. The right shoulder condition may have been aggravated by his service-connected left shoulder disability.,Further medical records are needed to determine if the Veteran has a right shoulder condition and whether it is secondary to his service-connected left shoulder disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Right Shoulder Condition
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 27, 2023
- Citation
- 23041157
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 23041157.
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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