The Board found that the March 1976 decision denying service connection for a nervous condition is final. The medical reports dated August 15, 1988, and September 1988 do not constitute informal claims for service connection for alcohol dependence secondary to PTSD. There was no clear and unmistakable error in the rating decisions of June 8, 1989, and August 7, 1989, regarding the PTSD rating. The RO did not commit clear and unmistakable error in its November 1982 decision assigning a 30% rating for PTSD. The veteran's shell fragment wound of the left lower leg and foot was evaluated at 30% from April 30, 1992 to February 2, 1998, and at 40% from February 3, 1998.
The deciding factor: The March 1976 decision denying service connection for a nervous condition is final due to the veteran not filing a timely notice of disagreement. The medical reports dated August 15, 1988, and September 1988 do not constitute informal claims for service connection for alcohol dependence secondary to PTSD. There was no clear and unmistakable error in the rating decisions of June 8, 1989, and August 7, 1989, regarding the PTSD rating. The November 1982 decision did not commit clear and unmistakable error as it assigned a 30% rating for PTSD.
- Claimed conditions
- nervous condition, alcohol dependence, PTSD
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 21, 2001
- Citation
- 0105289
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 0105289.
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
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- Partly granted
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- Remanded (sent back)
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- Denied
The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, as the Veteran did not have a diagnosis of PTSD or any other psychiatric disorder during the appeal period.
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