The Board finds that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD. The weight of the evidence is against finding that any such disability had its onset during service or as a result of in-service stressors. As such, the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder to include PTSD, bipolar disorder, and anxiety disorder is denied.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's service treatment records do not show any complaints, symptoms, diagnoses, or treatment indicative of an acquired psychiatric disorder during service. The concurrent report of medical history completed by the Veteran at service separation does not indicate any concerns about sexually-transmitted diseases, which would be a factor that could tend to corroborate in-service rape.
- Claimed conditions
- PTSD, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 2, 2015
- Citation
- 1537630
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 1537630.
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.
- Granted
The Board of Veterans' Appeals has granted service connection for PTSD and Mood Disorders, both presumed conditions under the PACT Act.
- 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.
- Partly granted
The Board has not made a final determination on the claims of service connection for inguinal hernia, PTSD, joint pain, fibromyalgia, left knee disability, right knee disability, tinnitus, chronic fatigue syndrome, respiratory disability, sleep disorder, IBS, and headaches. The claims are remanded to obtain additional evidence and determine if these conditions are related to service.
- 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.
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