The Board has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, characterized as PTSD and generalized anxiety disorder with a specific phobia of being submerged in water. The decision is based on the Veteran's reported stressors during his active duty service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's current psychiatric conditions are likely due to events from his period of active service, including a near-drowning incident and living near a Vietnamese family after service.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Dysthymia, Specific Phobia: Fear of Being Submerged in Water
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 25, 2010
- Citation
- 1011300
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 1011300.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- 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 an initial disability rating in excess of 50 percent for PTSD, finding the appellant's symptoms did not more closely approximate occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a rating in excess of 70 percent for PTSD due to an inadequate medical opinion.
- Granted
The Board granted a disability rating of 70 percent for PTSD and a total disability rating due to individual unemployability (TDIU) based on the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.
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