The Board granted restoration of a 100 percent evaluation for service-connected somatic symptom disorder and special monthly compensation (SMC) based on housebound criteria, effective November 1, 2024.
The deciding factor: The evidence did not show actual improvement in the Veteran's symptoms or ability to function under ordinary conditions of life and work, thus the reduction was improper.
- Claimed conditions
- Somatic Symptom Disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 100%
- Decision date
- October 29, 2025
- Citation
- A25093683
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,272 · Granted: 31% (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 A25093683.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for increased evaluations of his service-connected hypertension and somatic symptom disorder are denied. The Board has remanded the claims for cardiovascular, peripheral artery disease, and lung cancer with emphysema.
- Granted
The Veteran's claims for service connection for somatic symptom disorder with PTSD and right shoulder strain were granted, but the effective dates are set to December 26, 2019, based on new evidence submitted after a previous final decision.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a duty-to-assist error and needs additional information from a VA examiner regarding the Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disabilities, including specific phobia of natural environment.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's appeal, finding that reducing his PTSD rating from 50% to 30% was improper and that severing service connection for vertigo and combining it with tinnitus ratings were also improper.
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