The Veteran's service-connected somatic symptom disorder with depressive and anxious features is rated at 70 percent, but not more. The decision grants the increased rating based on the severity of symptoms that cause occupational and social impairment.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's symptoms most closely approximate the criteria for a 70 percent rating due to difficulty in adapting to stressful circumstances, which falls within the ratings criteria for this level of disability.
- Claimed conditions
- somatic symptom disorder with depressive and anxious features
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- March 29, 2024
- Citation
- A24015365
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 A24015365.
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.
- Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current psychiatric disability, and therefore cannot establish service connection for somatic symptom disorder with depressive and anxious features or other specified trauma or stressor related disorder.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection for other specified trauma and stressor-related disorder and somatic symptom disorder with depressive and anxious features are remanded due to the need for a new VA examination.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for his service-connected lumbar myositis, psychoneurosis and conversion hysteria, residuals of shrapnel wounds of the left thigh and pelvis with retained foreign bodies and scars, and residuals of shell fragment wounds of the right thigh and left leg. The veteran was also denied entitlement to a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for an initial evaluation in excess of 10 percent for his service-connected coronary artery disease, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating based on the severity of his condition.
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