The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was denied as the claimed stressor could not be verified and there was no credible supporting evidence that it occurred. The Veteran's polysubstance abuse/dependence is granted as secondary to his service-connected anxiety disorder.
The deciding factor: There was no confirmed in-service stressor, and the Veteran's assertion of witnessing a shooting did not meet the requirement for credible supporting evidence due to significant time delay and substance abuse history.
- Claimed conditions
- Polysubstance abuse/dependence, Anxiety disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 6, 2017
- Citation
- 1703526
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 1703526.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and depressive disorder. The evidence is at least in balance regarding whether his current conditions are related to his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected anxiety disorder, lumbar strain with degenerative arthritis, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and left lower extremity radiculopathy contributed to his death from congestive heart failure. The claim for DIC under 38 U.S.C. § 1318 is denied as the Veteran did not meet the criteria of having a combined rating of at least one year immediately preceding death.
- Denied
The Board has denied service connection for a psychiatric disability to include PTSD and an anxiety disorder, other than the service-connected insomnia disorder. The claims for recurrent right shoulder disability, recurrent left shoulder disability, and obstructive sleep apnea are remanded.
- Granted
The Veteran's appeal for a higher rating for his acquired psychiatric disorder, diagnosed as PTSD, anxiety disorder, and nightmare disorder was denied. The Veteran also appealed for TDIU based on his service-connected PTSD. Both appeals were granted.
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