The Board granted a 70 percent evaluation for PTSD with polysubstance abuse but denied service connection for right lower extremity shrapnel wounds.
The deciding factor: The presence of suicidal ideation supported the grant of a higher rating, while no evidence linked the shrapnel wounds to military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with polysubstance abuse, Right lower extremity shrapnel wounds
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 70%
- Decision date
- April 10, 2025
- Citation
- 25004906
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,612 · Granted: 16% (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 25004906.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied an earlier effective date for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to service-connected disabilities, finding that it is not factually ascertainable that the Veteran was precluded from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation prior to November 30, 2023.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal regarding the issue of entitlement to an increased rating for PTSD with polysubstance abuse.
- 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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