The Board denied the veteran's claims for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as his claim for service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The decision found that there was no credible evidence to support the occurrence of the alleged stressors in service or a link between current psychiatric conditions and service. For the hearing loss claim, the Board also noted that there is no medical evidence showing the veteran's current hearing impairment met the threshold criteria for a disability under VA regulations.
The deciding factor: The Board determined that the veteran did not engage in combat with enemy forces during his service, which precluded him from receiving presumptive service connection based on such engagement. The Board also found insufficient credible supporting evidence to confirm the alleged stressors and concluded there was no medical evidence linking current psychiatric conditions to service.
- Claimed conditions
- anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 8, 2005
- Citation
- 0506539
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 0506539.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining in-service psychiatric treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any acquired psychiatric disorder.
- Denied
The Veteran's depression was rated at 50 percent prior to July 1, 2016. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating due to occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity. For TDIU, the Veteran had multiple service-connected disabilities but his education and work experience were sufficient for sedentary or light labor employment.
- Granted
The Veteran's depression was rated at 50 percent prior to September 27, 2017. From September 27, 2017, the rating for depression increased to 70 percent.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeals were dismissed due to the death of the appellant. The issues related to service connection for various conditions and disability ratings.
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