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Whole decision: Denied

The Board of Veterans' Appeals found that the appellant's claimed service connection for PTSD was not incurred in or aggravated by military service and denied the claim.

The deciding factor: There is no evidence to show that the appellant engaged in combat during his overseas service, and the claimed stressors are not confirmed. The competent credible evidence does not show an acquired mental disorder had its onset or was made worse by military service.

Claimed conditions
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Hemorrhoids with Residuals of Closed Colostomy and Coloproctostomy, Ventral Hernias
How they argued it
Direct service connection
Exposure basis
None
Rating
Not verified here — check the original decision
Decision date
August 7, 2003
Citation
0319423

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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0319423.

What this means for you

A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.

What you can do next

Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).

Related decisions

Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.

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