The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, finding that there is no evidence linking his current mental health conditions to his military service.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence did not support a link between the Veteran’s current mental health conditions and his military service or specific in-service events/stressors.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD), Personality Disorder, Other specified depressive disorder with anxious distress, Cocaine use disorder, Alcohol abuse disorder, Cannabis use disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 3, 2019
- Citation
- 19100733
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the matter for further development, specifically to obtain relevant VA and Vet Center medical records.
- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include a mood disorder and alcohol abuse disorder, secondary to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities. The other claims for increased ratings were denied.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for a personality disorder and remanded claims for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD, and obstructive sleep apnea.
- Denied
The Board denied a disability rating in excess of 50 percent and 70 percent for an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, depressive disorder, trauma and stressor related disorder, personality disorder, alcohol use disorder, and cannabis use disorder.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.