The Board found that the Veteran's claimed in-service stressful experiences have not been corroborated by service department records, and his acquired psychiatric disorders, to include PTSD, are not shown to be related to events during military service.
The deciding factor: Service connection for PTSD requires medical evidence establishing a diagnosis in accordance with DSM-IV, credible supporting evidence that the claimed in-service stressors actually occurred, and a link established by medical evidence between the current symptomatology and the claimed in-service stressors. The Veteran's reported experiences were not corroborated by service department records.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric disorder, to include posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 23, 2009
- Citation
- 0940270
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0940270.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, finding that the Veteran did not have a current disability and failed to establish a link between his in-service stressor and any diagnosed condition.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issues of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to a need for additional evidence.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, due to military sexual trauma (MST) based on the evidence of record.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board denied a compensable rating for chronic sinusitis and service connection for traumatic brain injury (TBI), but granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
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