The Veteran's claim for service connection for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was denied as there is no credible supporting evidence that a claimed in-service stressor occurred, and any recorded diagnosis of PTSD is not based on a stressor event corroborated by independent and credible supporting evidence.
The deciding factor: The deciding factor was the lack of credible supporting evidence for the Veteran's claimed in-service stressors and the absence of a link between his current PTSD and an established in-service event.
- Claimed conditions
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Arteriosclerotic heart disease (coronary artery disease)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 13, 2009
- Citation
- 0909458
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,699 · Granted: 17% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
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 0909458.
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 has remanded the case due to insufficient medical opinions regarding the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders and their relationship to service.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including his bilateral lower extremity conditions and PTSD, resulted in a loss of use of both lower extremities such that he is entitled to specially adapted housing.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for psychiatric disorders, including major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder, finding that these conditions are related to military service.
- Granted
The Board has restored service connection for arteriosclerotic heart disease, diabetes mellitus type II, and hypertension due to a presumption of exposure based on service in or near the Korean DMZ. Service connection for scar as secondary to diverticulitis of colon is dismissed.
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