The Board found that the Veteran's claimed psychiatric disabilities, including PTSD, were not incurred in or aggravated by service due to lack of verified stressors. The Veteran did not engage in combat and there is no credible evidence supporting his allegations of witnessing prisoner beatings during service.
The deciding factor: The alleged traumatic incidents occurred prior to the Veteran's training at Great Lakes Naval Training Center and are not consistent with his service duties, which were as a radio mechanic. There is insufficient evidence to support the occurrence of these events or their impact on the Veteran's current psychiatric conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Bipolar disorder with obsessive compulsive disorder traits, Adjustment disorder, Depression
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 24, 2016
- Citation
- 1621009
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 1621009.
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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