The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis for PTSD, and therefore cannot establish service connection for this condition. The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD is found to be related to his active service.
The deciding factor: There is conflicting evidence regarding whether the Veteran meets the diagnostic criteria for PTSD under DSM-IV or DSM-V, with VA examiners finding no such diagnosis and a private provider providing an initial diagnosis that was not confirmed by subsequent evaluations. The Board finds the VA examiners' opinions more persuasive due to their thorough review of the claims file and the Veteran's history.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Acquired Psychiatric Disorder Other Than PTSD
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 23, 2015
- Citation
- 1526574
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 1526574.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is granted as the evidence shows a current diagnosis of PTSD, an in-service stressor, and a medical link between the two.
- Denied
The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 50% since March 23, 2004. The Board found that a higher rating is not warranted prior to February 15, 2005 due to the severity of his symptoms and their impact on his social and occupational functioning.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and any acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between his current mental health conditions and his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD resulted in occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity, warranting a 70% disability rating. The Veteran also met the criteria for a TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.
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