The Board denied a separate disability rating for short-term memory loss as a residual manifestation of Multiple Sclerosis (MS), finding that the Veteran's symptoms were attributable to his service-connected PTSD and MDD, rather than MS.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded that the Veteran does not have a separate diagnosis of short-term memory loss related to his MS, but instead, his mild memory issues are due to his service-connected mental health conditions including PTSD.
- Claimed conditions
- Multiple Sclerosis, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder with Major Depressive Disorder, Alcohol Use Disorder, Cannabis Use Disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 30%
- Decision date
- October 7, 2024
- Citation
- 24031505
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 275 · Granted: 33% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 24031505.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case for additional development, including obtaining records of the Appellant's reserve component service and conducting a VA examination to determine if her multiple sclerosis is related to service.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD is related to fear of hostile military or terrorist activity in Vietnam, and his alcohol use disorder is due to his PTSD. Service connection for PTSD with alcohol use disorder has been granted.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for a higher rating for PTSD with alcohol use disorder was denied, and he was granted a TDIU. The Board found that the symptoms did not meet criteria for a 100% disability rating.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD has been granted a 70% rating effective March 25, 2024. The Board found that the increase in severity of his disability warranted this rating.
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