The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and compensation under 38 U.S.C. § 1151 for depression due to a lack of evidence supporting a current diagnosis of PTSD and no evidence indicating that his depression was caused by VA treatment.
The deciding factor: The September 2006 VA C & P examiner concluded that the Veteran's symptoms did not meet DSM-IV requirements for a PTSD diagnosis, and inpatient and outpatient records were negative for treatment or complaints of PTSD. The Board found the evidence against a current diagnosis of PTSD to outweigh the evidence in favor.
- Claimed conditions
- PTSD, depression
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 26, 2009
- Citation
- 0907127
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder to ensure a proper examination and etiology opinion are provided.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder, and somatic symptom disorder, as well as presumptive service connection for basal cell carcinoma under the PACT Act. Service connection was denied for chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, right restless leg syndrome, left restless leg syndrome, an increased rating for psychiatric disorder, bilateral hearing loss, a left forehead surgical scar, and allergic rhinitis.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, as the Veteran did not have a diagnosis of PTSD or any other psychiatric disorder during the appeal period.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for multiple conditions, including an acquired psychiatric disorder, sleep apnea, hypertension, and various musculoskeletal and skin disabilities.
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