The Veteran is eligible for the direct payment of attorney fees based on past due benefits awarded in a September 2021 rating decision that granted service connection for PTSD with alcohol use disorder.
The deciding factor: The fee agreement was valid, and the appellant provided representation after the Veteran received notice of the AOJ's initial decision regarding the case.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with alcohol use disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 12, 2025
- Citation
- A25051780
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an initial increased rating of 70 percent for PTSD with alcohol use disorder and remanded the claims for service connection for pain of the left shoulder, pain of the lumbar spine, and sciatic radicular pains.
- Denied
The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings for her left and right knee patellofemoral pain syndrome and PTSD with alcohol use disorder, finding that the evidence did not support higher disability ratings.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's appeal for an earlier effective date prior to February 19, 2023, for the award of service connection for PTSD with alcohol use disorder.
- Denied
The Board denied an evaluation higher than 70 percent for PTSD with alcohol use disorder, as the evidence did not show total occupational and social impairment.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.