The Board granted an earlier effective date of May 12, 2021, for service connection for PTSD, major depressive disorder with anxious distress, and alcohol use disorder, but denied a rating in excess of 70 percent from June 20, 2023, for these conditions. The Board also granted an earlier effective date for service connection for superficial pustular cystic acne and acne scarring.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's continuous pursuit of his claims and the favorable findings by the AOJ led to the granting of earlier effective dates for PTSD, major depressive disorder with anxious distress, and alcohol use disorder. However, the evidence did not support a higher rating for these conditions from June 20, 2023.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Major depressive disorder with anxious distress, Alcohol use disorder (AUD), Superficial pustular cystic acne and acne scarring
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 30, 2025
- Citation
- A25048267
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for PTSD, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor and finding that his PTSD is related to an in-service military sexual trauma (MST) during a period of ACDUTRA.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of May 17, 2019, for a 70 percent disability rating for PTSD but denied earlier effective dates for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.
- Partly granted
The Board granted readjudication of previously denied claims for service connection for PTSD and COPD, while remanding other issues including entitlement to service connection for an eye disorder, hypertension, tinnitus, a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, TDIU, and an initial rating for PTSD.
- Denied
The appeal for service connection for PTSD was dismissed, and the claims for a compensable rating for the lower back scar, service connection for COPD, and peripheral artery disease were denied.
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