13-22 060, 13-22 060

Veteran served 1971–1973; service connection for PTSD granted by DRO in July 2010 with a 30% rating effective April 15, 2008. Appeal seeks an initial rating in excess of 30%.
RO and VA complied with VCAA duties; VA obtained service and VA treatment records and provided VA examinations (2007, 2016) per Board remand.
Medical records and VA exam findings show symptoms including nightmares, anxiety/hypervigilance, intermittent auditory phenomena (reported in 2007), sleep disturbance, concentration problems, and occasional panic; GAF recorded at 55 in 2008.
Lay statements (family) allege frequent nightmares, panic attacks, and some forgetfulness; Veteran reported work-related concentration problems and retiring in 2016 due to mental health after long employment.
2016 VA examiner found only mild/transient symptoms with occupational/social impairment limited to occasional decrease in work efficiency; examiner concluded PTSD may not meet full criteria currently.
Board found evidence does not show occupational/social impairment of the severity required for a 50%, 70%, or 100% schedular rating; increased rating and extraschedular TDIU referral denied.

Issue	Plaintiff's Argument	Defendant's Argument	Held
Entitlement to an initial rating >30% for PTSD	Veteran: symptoms (nightmares, panic, concentration loss, missed work, long-term functional impact) warrant higher rating	VA/Board: record and VA exams show only occasional decreased work efficiency and mild/transient symptoms; insufficient for higher schedular ratings	Denied — rating remains 30% (evidence preponderates against higher rating)
Extraschedular consideration / TDIU referral	Veteran: stopped working and reported inability to function at work, suggesting referral	VA/Board: sustained 43-year employment and exam findings of only occasional work impairment do not support extraschedular or TDIU referral	Denied — referral not warranted
VCAA duty to notify and assist compliance	Veteran: (implicit) claim pursued; waived some consideration at hearing	VA/Board: complied with VCAA, obtained records, provided exams, and substantially complied with remand	Held satisfied — duty to assist and notification requirements met
Staged ratings / retrospective severity	Veteran: earlier evidence (family statements, 2007 reports) may show worse periods	VA/Board: considered entire period; evidence does not demonstrate rating-level symptoms at any portion warranting >30%	No staged or higher ratings assigned; uniform 30% rating maintained

Vazquez-Claudio v. Shinseki, 713 F.3d 112 (Fed. Cir.) (symptom-driven evaluation under §4.130; frequency, severity, duration determine rating)
McGrath v. Gober, 14 Vet. App. 28 (Vet. App.) (evidence must show symptoms at the time they are alleged; timing of evidence matters)
Stegall v. West, 11 Vet. App. 268 (Vet. App.) (remand compliance requires substantial compliance with Board directives)
Hartman v. Nicholson, 483 F.3d 1311 (Fed. Cir.) (once service connection is granted, no additional VCAA notice is required for downstream rating disputes)
Gilbert v. Derwinski, 1 Vet. App. 49 (Vet. App.) (preponderance of evidence standard and benefit-of-the-doubt rule in veterans claims)
Fenderson v. West, 12 Vet. App. 119 (Vet. App.) (staged ratings are appropriate when different levels of disability are shown for separate periods)