The Veteran's claims for PTSD, arthritis of the knees, ankles, elbows, and hands, and bilateral hearing loss were all denied. The Board found that there was insufficient evidence to establish service connection for PTSD due to lack of corroborated stressor events. For arthritis, no current diagnosis was provided in the record. For hearing loss, a compensable rating could not be assigned as the Veteran's hearing impairment did not meet the criteria for an exceptional pattern.
The deciding factor: The Veteran failed to provide sufficient evidence to establish service connection for PTSD due to lack of corroborated stressor events. The Board also found no current diagnosis of arthritis or hearing loss in the record, and thus denied these claims. For hearing loss, the Veteran's hearing impairment did not meet the criteria for an exceptional pattern.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Arthritis of the knees, ankles, elbows, and hands, Bilateral hearing loss
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 11, 2009
- Citation
- 0930031
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 0930031.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is granted as the evidence shows a current diagnosis of PTSD, an in-service stressor, and a medical link between the two.
- Denied
The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 50% since March 23, 2004. The Board found that a higher rating is not warranted prior to February 15, 2005 due to the severity of his symptoms and their impact on his social and occupational functioning.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and any acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between his current mental health conditions and his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD resulted in occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity, warranting a 70% disability rating. The Veteran also met the criteria for a TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.
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