The Board has determined that the veteran's claimed stressor, witnessing fellow sailors being murdered while he stood helplessly on his vessel, is insufficiently definite to submit for research by the U.S. Army Joint Services Records Research Center (JSRRC). The RO will request JSRRC to conduct research of the ship logs and other documents of the USS Sterlet and USS Ranger to determine if any of the crew was killed at or near where the vessels were moored during a specific time period. If confirmed, an appropriate psychiatric examination will be arranged for the veteran to determine whether he currently suffers from PTSD as a result of the verified stressor.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the claimed incident is insufficiently definite and requires further research by the JSRRC.
- Claimed conditions
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 19, 2006
- Citation
- 0629696
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 0629696.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an earlier effective date for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disability, to include PTSD, as it needs a medical opinion addressing the nature and etiology of the condition prior to October 16, 2023.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted special monthly compensation (SMC) based on the need for regular aid and attendance due to his service-connected disabilities.
- Partly granted
The Veteran is granted special monthly compensation (SMC) based on the need for regular aid and attendance of another since September 30, 2020.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for headaches and right hand strain, increased the ratings for PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, dyshidrotic eczema, and hypertension, and denied service connection for Parkinsonism, pes planus/flat feet, GERD, tinea versicolor, allergic rhinitis, and tinnitus. The Board also granted a TDIU.
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