The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD and major depressive disorder, has been denied as the evidence does not support a diagnosis of PTSD or any other diagnosed psychiatric disability being related to his military service.
The deciding factor: VA medical records do not clearly indicate what in-service stressors underlie diagnoses of PTSD. The Veteran's statements about in-service stressors are inconsistent and unreliable. No credible supporting evidence corroborates the claimed in-service stressors, as no deaths matching the names and circumstances were found. The Veteran was engaged in combat during service but denies experiencing any specific in-service stressors.
- Claimed conditions
- polysubstance abuse, major depressive disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 19, 2015
- Citation
- 1521441
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 1521441.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for specially-adapted housing assistance and a special home adaptation grant was denied because he does not meet the criteria for either benefit based on his service-connected disabilities.
- 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.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder and major depressive disorder has been dismissed as the appellant requested withdrawal of the appeal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided that the Veteran's service connection claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, should be remanded due to a failure to verify a stressor related to the death of his two best friends in Iraq. The AOJ needs to develop this stressor.
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