The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, anxiety, and depression, was denied as there is no evidence linking these conditions to his military service. The claim for TDIU was also denied due to the lack of a single disability rated at least 40% disabling or combined disabilities meeting the percentage requirements.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence did not establish that any psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, anxiety, and depression, were caused by or related to service. The VA examiner found no link between current symptoms and military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired Psychiatric Disorder (to include PTSD, anxiety, and depression), Lumbar Disc Disease
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 6, 2019
- Citation
- 19108709
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,642 · Granted: 19% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19108709.
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.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine, lumbar disc disease, bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, bilateral knee strains, residuals of a left ankle concussion, and bilateral pes cavus are found to be related to his obstructive sleep apnea. His claim for restoration of a 30 percent evaluation for degenerative arthritis of the cervical spine is granted.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD, sleep apnea, hypertension, right MCA stroke with left-sided hemiplegia and major neurocognitive impairment, headaches, left ankle sprain, cervical sprain, and lumbar disc disease are all granted as secondary to service-connected conditions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found the reduction in rating for spinal stenosis, lumbar disc disease, and Schmorl's nodes from 20% to 10% was improper. The 20% rating is restored. However, the issues of increased ratings for left and right lower extremity sciatic nerve radiculopathy and ankle conditions are remanded due to a duty to assist error.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the evidence is at least in equipoise, and therefore grants service connection for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) as secondary to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other service-connected conditions such as lumbar disc disease, right lower extremity radiculopathy, obstructive lung disease, and gastroesophageal reflux.
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