The Board denied the veteran's claims for increased ratings and an earlier effective date, as the maximum schedular rating of 100 percent for PTSD with persistent depressive disorder and traumatic brain injury has been in effect since April 19, 2019.
The deciding factor: The decision was based on the fact that the veteran's claim for service connection was received prior to his discharge from active duty, but an earlier effective date is not permissible by law.
- Claimed conditions
- PTSD with persistent depressive disorder, traumatic brain injury, cervical spine disorder, right upper extremity radiculopathy, left upper extremity radiculopathy, thoracolumbar spine disorder, right lower extremity radiculopathy, left lower extremity radiculopathy, right shoulder disorder, left shoulder disorder, right elbow disorder, left elbow disorder, right wrist disorder, left wrist disorder, right hand thumb disability, left hand thumb disability, right hand index finger disorder, left hand index finger disorder, right hand long finger disorder, left hand long finger disorder, right hand ring finger disability, left hand ring finger disability, right hand little finger disability, left hand little finger disability, right hip limitation of extension, left hip limitation of extension, right hip limitation of flexion, left hip limitation of flexion, right hip impairment of the thigh, left hip impairment of the thigh, right knee disorder with limitation of extension, right knee with meniscal involvement, left knee disorder with limitation of extension, right leg shin splints, left leg shin splints, right ankle disorder, left ankle disorder, bilateral pes planus, migraine headache disorder, bilateral primary open angle glaucoma with bilateral legal blindness
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 1, 2025
- Citation
- A25084845
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,011 · Granted: 24% (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 A25084845.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that additional development is needed for the claims on appeal, including obtaining any outstanding treatment records and scheduling VA examinations to assess the current severity of service-connected disabilities. The Veteran's representative also requested reevaluation of his service-connected disabilities.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals were dismissed due to the death of the appellant. The issues related to service connection for various conditions and disability ratings.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a lumbar spine disability, left lower extremity radiculopathy, and right lower extremity radiculopathy as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected lumbar spine disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has determined that the AOJ did not obtain all necessary opinions regarding whether the Veteran's symptoms are related to an undiagnosed illness or medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illness (MUCMI). The claims for service connection for fatigue, fibromyalgia, left elbow disorder, right elbow disorder, and sleep disorder are remanded for further development.
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