The Board found that the preponderance of evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran's current acquired psychiatric disorder is related to his active duty service or caused by his service-connected right knee and/or right ankle disabilities.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner could not resolve whether the Veteran's current acquired psychiatric disorder was related to his in-service parachute accident without resorting to speculation, due to insufficient evidence of a diagnosis prior to the onset of symptoms.
- Claimed conditions
- anxiety disorder NOS, anxiety disorder with panic disorder, depression, depressive disorder NOS, mood disorder NOS, generalized anxiety disorder with panic attacks, PTSD, major depressive disorder, panic disorder without agoraphobia, panic disorder with panic attacks
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 22, 2017
- Citation
- 1723514
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 1723514.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Board of Veterans' Appeals has granted service connection for PTSD and Mood Disorders, both presumed conditions under the PACT Act.
- 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.
- Partly granted
The Board has not made a final determination on the claims of service connection for inguinal hernia, PTSD, joint pain, fibromyalgia, left knee disability, right knee disability, tinnitus, chronic fatigue syndrome, respiratory disability, sleep disorder, IBS, and headaches. The claims are remanded to obtain additional evidence and determine if these conditions are related to service.
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