The Veteran's claim for TDIU was withdrawn, and his new and material evidence claim for sleep apnea was denied. His service connection claims for PTSD and a psychiatric disorder were also denied.,His claim for sleep apnea was not reopened because the submitted evidence did not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate the claim. The Board found no link between his current psychiatric disorders and his service, including as due to exposure in the Gulf War.,The Veteran's PTSD claim was denied based on insufficient medical evidence linking his current condition to his service. His psychiatric disorder claim was also denied because there is no competent medical evidence showing a connection to service.
The deciding factor: The Veteran withdrew his appeal for TDIU, and the submitted new evidence did not relate to an unestablished fact necessary to reopen his sleep apnea claim.,There is insufficient medical evidence linking the Veteran's current psychiatric disorders to his service, including as due to exposure in the Gulf War. The Board found no link between his substance abuse/use and depression to his active service.,The preponderance of the evidence does not support a finding that the Veteran's PTSD or psychiatric disorder are related to his service.
- Claimed conditions
- sleep apnea, nightmare disorder with an alcohol disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), unspecified depressive disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 4, 2019
- Citation
- 19115225
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 19115225.
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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- Partly granted
The Veteran was granted a 70 percent initial disability rating for PTSD effective December 2, 2021, but the claim for an increased rating in excess of 70 percent was denied. The appeal also included claims for service connection and ratings for various conditions, some of which were granted while others were remanded.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for sleep apnea as there is no evidence of an in-service injury or disease, and no competent evidence linking the condition to service.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of October 17, 2022, for the grant of service connection for PTSD.
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