The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for depression and other psychiatric conditions, including PTSD. The claim for depression was previously denied in 2007, but new evidence did not relate to the unestablished fact of nexus between military service and current depression. The Veteran has been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and depression, but no diagnosis of PTSD or any other specific stressor-related psychiatric condition.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claim for service connection was denied because he does not meet the criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD, which is necessary to establish service connection under 38 C.F.R. § 4.125(a). The Board also found that his anxiety disorder and depression do not warrant service connection as they are not linked to military service.
- Claimed conditions
- depression, anxiety disorder
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 5, 2014
- Citation
- 1453638
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 1453638.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension and increased rating for anxiety disorder have been denied. The Board found that there is no evidence of a current disability meeting the criteria for hypertension, and the Veteran's anxiety disorder does not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining in-service psychiatric treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any acquired psychiatric disorder.
- Denied
The Veteran's depression was rated at 50 percent prior to July 1, 2016. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating due to occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity. For TDIU, the Veteran had multiple service-connected disabilities but his education and work experience were sufficient for sedentary or light labor employment.
- Granted
The Veteran's depression was rated at 50 percent prior to September 27, 2017. From September 27, 2017, the rating for depression increased to 70 percent.
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