The Veteran's service connection claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and depression, is denied as there is no current diagnosis of PTSD and the evidence does not support a link to service.,Service connection for DJD or DDD of the lumbar spine is denied due to lack of probative clinical opinion supporting a causal relationship between the condition and active service or service-connected low back strain.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's PTSD claim was denied because there is no current diagnosis of PTSD, and his depressive disorder did not meet the full diagnostic criteria for PTSD. The April 2018 VA examiner provided a highly probative opinion against a grant of service connection.,Service connection for DJD or DDD of the lumbar spine was denied as there is no probative clinical opinion supporting a causal relationship between the condition and active service or service-connected low back strain.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired Psychiatric Disorder, Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) or Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) of the Lumbar Spine, Right Knee Disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 1, 2018
- Citation
- 18139853
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 18139853.
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.
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- Denied
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- Partly granted
The Board granted a 30 percent evaluation for tension headaches effective September 13, 2022, but denied earlier effective dates and service connection for various conditions.
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