Veterans’ RightsAn independent resource for veterans
← All decisions
Denied

The VA denied the veteran's claim of entitlement to service connection for PTSD, finding that there was no evidence of combat participation and thus could not verify the claimed stressors. The Board concluded that the veteran did not engage in combat with the enemy during his service.

The deciding factor: The veteran failed to establish engagement in combat with the enemy as required by 38 C.F.R. § 4.125(a) for PTSD claims based on verified in-service stressors.

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
October 16, 2006
Citation
0632136

Veterans Law Judge

STEPHEN L. WILKNS

Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.

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 0632136.

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

Related decisions

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

Free starter guide for your own claim

Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.

We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.

We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.

This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.