The Board denied an initial rating in excess of 50 percent for the Veteran's service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder with alcohol use disorder, finding that the evidence did not support a higher rating.
The deciding factor: The severity, frequency, and duration of the symptoms of the Veteran's PTSD do not more nearly approximate occupational and social impairment, with deficiencies in most areas, such as work, school, family relations, judgment, thinking, or mood.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic stress disorder with alcohol use disorder (PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- April 17, 2025
- Citation
- A25035708
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,548 · Granted: 31% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation A25035708.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for a left knee disability and a 70 percent rating, but no higher, prior to June 11, 2018 for PTSD. The TDIU claim was denied.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for an initial rating higher than 30 percent, a rating higher than 70 percent from July 17, 2024, and TDIU based on PTSD alone to ensure that VA has met its duty to assist by obtaining additional medical evidence.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's PTSD was granted a 100 percent rating as of February 24, 2023, due to memory loss symptoms.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board granted an evaluation of 70 percent for PTSD, finding the Veteran's symptoms more closely approximate the criteria for this rating.
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