The Board finds that the evidence is at least evenly balanced as to whether service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD with sleep disturbances, depressive disorder, alcohol abuse, and anxiety disorder, is warranted. The Veteran has been diagnosed with PTSD under the DSM-IV and there is no probative evidence that controverts that diagnosis. He has also been diagnosed with a host of other mental health disorders. It is uncontroverted that experienced stressors during his deployment to Iraq. Finally, the September 2015 VA examiner has related the Veteran's mental health symptoms to those stressors experienced during service. As the reasonable doubt created by this relative equipoise in the evidence must be resolved in favor of the Veteran, entitlement to service connection is granted.
The deciding factor: The Board finds that the evidence is at least evenly balanced as to whether service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD with sleep disturbances, depressive disorder, alcohol abuse, and anxiety disorder, is warranted. The reasonable doubt created by this relative equipoise in the evidence must be resolved in favor of the Veteran.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Depressive Disorder, Alcohol Abuse, Anxiety Disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- July 28, 2016
- Citation
- 1630273
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 1630273.
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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