The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of a ruptured left ear drum or scarring from a past ruptured left ear drum, and that any injury to the ear occurred during service. The Board also found no evidence linking his acquired psychiatric disorder (to include major depressive disorder and dysthymia) to his active service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner's opinion stated there was not sufficient evidence to suggest a nexus between the Veteran's active service and his mental health diagnosis, as well as many stressors in life including imprisonment, divorce, and unemployment.
- Claimed conditions
- major depressive disorder, dysthymia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 7, 2017
- Citation
- 1720173
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 1720173.
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.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for specially-adapted housing assistance and a special home adaptation grant was denied because he does not meet the criteria for either benefit based on his service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and major depressive disorder, is being remanded due to the need for additional development regarding his alleged stressors.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's appeal for service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder and major depressive disorder has been dismissed as the appellant requested withdrawal of the appeal.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided that the Veteran's service connection claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, should be remanded due to a failure to verify a stressor related to the death of his two best friends in Iraq. The AOJ needs to develop this stressor.
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