The Board has granted service connection for a psychiatric disability, including PTSD, major depression, dysthymia, neurosis with hypochondriasis and depressive features, anxiety, and a mood disorder. The diagnosis of PTSD is based on reported in-service stressors related to fear of hostile military activity.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's lay statements alone were sufficient to establish the occurrence of his claimed in-service stressor of witnessing his friend drown during service, as well as other stressors related to his service in Korea. The VA examiner confirmed that the Veteran met the DSM-IV criteria for PTSD based on his reported symptoms and history.
- Claimed conditions
- PTSD, major depression, dysthymia, neurosis with hypochondriasis and depressive features, anxiety, mood disorder
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 20, 2010
- Citation
- 1031446
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 1031446.
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.
- Partly granted
The Veteran's PTSD was granted a maximum disability rating of 100 percent effective December 12, 2022. The ratings for migraines and IBS with GERD were restored from noncompensable to their previous levels.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder to ensure a proper examination and etiology opinion are provided.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for anxiety but denied it for sleep apnea, finding that the Veteran's sleep apnea was less likely than not related to his active service or service-connected acquired psychiatric condition.
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