The Board found no credible evidence supporting the Veteran's claimed in-service stressors and concluded that his psychiatric disability, to include PTSD, was not incurred or aggravated by service. The spinal stenosis and spondylosis were also denied as there was insufficient evidence linking them to service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's allegations of an in-service race riot and swine flu vaccination did not meet the criteria for establishing a stressor related to fear of hostile military or terrorist activity, and his personnel records showed no indication of combat participation. The Board found that the Veteran's psychiatric disability was not incurred during service.
- Claimed conditions
- psychiatric disability, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), spinal stenosis and spondylosis
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 6, 2013
- Citation
- 1336057
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 1336057.
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 evidence regarding the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder and PTSD. The Veteran will be asked to provide additional medical records and undergo a VA examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and major depressive disorder, is being remanded due to the need for additional development regarding his alleged stressors.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development regarding the Veteran's service connection claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
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