The Board granted service connection for PTSD and an initial 40 percent rating for degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine with IVDS, while denying service connection for a left shoulder disability and other conditions.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, diagnosed as PTSD, is due to a stressor that credibly occurred during service. The symptoms of the Veteran's lumbar spine disability more closely approximated limitation of forward flexion of the thoracolumbar spine to 30 degrees or less.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Left shoulder disability, Degenerative arthritis of the lumbar spine with intervertebral disc syndrome (IVDS), Radiculopathy of the left lower extremity, Radiculopathy of the right lower extremity, Limitation of flexion of the left hip, Limitation of flexion of the right hip, Limitation of extension of the left hip, Limitation of extension of the right hip, Limitation of abduction of the left hip, Limitation of abduction of the right hip, Tinnitus
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- March 24, 2025
- Citation
- A25027153
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 719 · Granted: 54% (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 A25027153.
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 service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- Denied
The Board denied extraschedular ratings for the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine and lower extremity radiculopathy disabilities, as well as a total disability rating based on individual unemployability prior to February 3, 2011.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for a higher rating for PTSD and dismissed his appeals regarding increased ratings for tinnitus and a right hand disability due to lack of timely filing of Notice of Disagreement.
- Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including GAD, MDD, bruxism, migraines/headaches, tinnitus, hip pain, iliotibial band syndrome, and leg stress fractures. The evidence does not support current diagnoses of these conditions during the appeal period.
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