The Veteran's claim of service connection for PTSD is granted. The Board finds that the Veteran has a verified in-service stressor and meets the diagnostic criteria for PTSD. Service connection is also granted for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD, but only to the extent it is related to his now service-connected PTSD.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's PTSD was found to be directly related to his in-service experiences, meeting the criteria for direct service connection as per 38 C.F.R. § 3.304(f). The acquired psychiatric disorder other than PTSD (depressive disorder, polysubstance abuse, and alcohol dependence) is not considered service-connected due to lack of evidence supporting a causal relationship with his now service-connected PTSD.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Acquired Psychiatric Disorder (including depressive disorder, polysubstance abuse, and alcohol dependence)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 20, 2015
- Citation
- 1544580
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 1544580.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
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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