BVA Case 190913-290924: PTSD
BVAReal Board of Veterans' Appeals decision · December 13, 2022 · Martin T. Mitchell
Conditions Claimed
PTSDDepressionAnxietyPsychiatricCervicalHipHeadache
Official 2026 VA monthly compensation, including the 2.8% COLA increase.
Dependent add-ons start at a 30% rating. Child-only and dependent-parent rates: see the full 2026 pay chart.
2026 base rates, all ratings (veteran alone)
| Rating | Monthly (2026, incl. 2.8% COLA) |
|---|---|
| 10% | $180.42 |
| 20% | $356.66 |
| 30% | $552.47 |
| 40% | $795.84 |
| 50% | $1,132.90 |
| 60% | $1,435.02 |
| 70% | $1,808.45 |
| 80% | $2,102.15 |
| 90% | $2,362.30 |
| 100% | $3,938.58 |
Referral disclosure: VetAid earns a referral fee if you become a paying REE Medical client through this link — it helps keep this site free. REE Medical provides paid medical evidence; it is not a law firm, VSO, or claims agent, and VetAid has not independently verified its services. VSOs and VA-accredited representatives will help you file your claim at no cost, and no one can guarantee a rating increase.
Issues on Appeal
PTSDDepressionAnxietyPsychiatricCervicalHipHeadache
Why It Was Decided This Way
However, neither private examiner provided a nexus opinion on whether his psychiatric conditions are due to service.
There was sufficient evidence in the record prior to the August 2019 rating decision that that the VA had a duty to assist to provide a medical examination and opinion.
On remand a VA examination and medical opinion is warranted to correct this pre-decisional duty to assist error and address this issue.
A remand is necessary to obtain a VA examination and medical opinion to correct this pre-decisional duty to assist error and determine the etiology of his right hip disability.
A remand for a VA examination and medical opinion is warranted to correct this pre-decisional duty to assist error and determine the etiology of his right toe disability.
Thus, remand is necessary to obtain a VA examination and medical opinion to correct this pre-decisional duty to assist error and determine the etiology of his neck and headaches disabilities.
(b) Please provide a discussion of whether a nexus between persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia) and generalized anxiety disorder (and any other DSM-5 diagnosis) and service is "medically plausible," accepting as true the Veteran's reports of in-service stressors of witnessing a soldier shoot another soldier; witnessing an individual struck and killed by a five-ton truck while riding a bicycle; being involved in an incident where a truck he was riding in ran off the road into a ditch; and witnessing his friend and fellow soldier being killed in a bar fight and his statements that he has experienced continuity of symptoms, including social isolation, anxiety, and excessive worry, since service, as noted above.
In addressing this question, please assume as true the Veteran's report that his right hip pain began as a result of such activity and has continued since that time and determine whether a nexus to service is "medically plausible" based on the same.
Authorities Cited
Regulations Cited (38 CFR / 38 USC)
Denial Type
No Nexus|Duty To Assist
Find Similar Precedent for Your Claim
VetAid's analyzer maps your claim against thousands of real Board of Veterans' Appeals decisions like this one — surfacing the exact case law that supports your arguments.
Run my claim through VetAid →