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Denied

The Board denied the veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, coronary artery disease with hypertension (to include as secondary to PTSD), bilateral hearing loss, a skin disorder related to Agent Orange exposure, and hematuria. The reasons were that there was no credible evidence of in-service stressors supporting the diagnosis of PTSD, no causal relationship between the current heart condition and service-connected disorders, no compensable hearing loss during the first post-service year, no proof of in-service exposure to an herbicide agent for any claimed conditions, and no disability found for hematuria.

The deciding factor: The Board determined that there was insufficient evidence to support a finding of service connection for PTSD due to lack of credible supporting evidence of in-service stressors. The heart condition was not shown to be related to service-connected disorders or secondary to PTSD. Hearing loss and hematuria were not found to be present during the first post-service year, nor did they meet the criteria for disability under VA regulations.

Claimed conditions
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
How they argued it
Secondary to another service-connected condition
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
None in this decision
Decision date
May 23, 2002
Citation
0204916

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 0204916.

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