The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for an anxiety disorder, PTSD, and alcohol abuse as there was no competent evidence linking these conditions to his military service. The claim for TDIU was also denied as service connection was not in effect for any disability.
The deciding factor: There is no credible supporting evidence that the claimed stressors occurred or a medical opinion linking the Veteran's current psychiatric disorders to his military service, and alcohol abuse was found to be due to his own willful misconduct.
- Claimed conditions
- anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), alcohol abuse
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 4, 2009
- Citation
- 0907894
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.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for depression, PTSD, and an anxiety disorder due to the lack of a current diagnosis.
- Partly granted
The Board dismissed the appeal for service connection for anxiety disorder and denied service connection for hearing loss. The claims for service connection for GERD, right ankle limitations, and sinusitis were remanded for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for PTSD to be readjudicated on the merits due to new and relevant evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board dismissed the appeal for a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disability (TDIU) and remanded several issues related to increased ratings for various disabilities.
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