The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is denied.,Service connection is granted for Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Unspecified Depressive Disorder, as well as bilateral hearing loss disability and tinnitus. The back, right knee, and left ankle disabilities are remanded for further review on the issue of secondary service connection to pes planus.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran does not have a PTSD diagnosis that conforms to the DSM-V.,The VA examiner concluded that it is at least as likely as not that the Veteran's generalized anxiety disorder and unspecified depressive disorder developed following his discharge from military service, rather than being related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- PTSD, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Unspecified Depressive Disorder, Bilateral Hearing Loss Disability, Tinnitus, Back disability (claimed as secondary to service-connected pes planus), Left Knee disability (claimed as secondary to service-connected pes planus), Right Knee disability (claimed as secondary to service-connected pes planus), Left Ankle disability (claimed as secondary to service-connected pes planus)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 9, 2019
- Citation
- 19126598
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,050 · Granted: 32% (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 19126598.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
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 Board denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are not related to his military service.
- 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.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim of service connection for PTSD was granted with an initial evaluation of 50 percent, effective September 24, 2007. The appeal regarding the heart condition and sleep disorder is denied. The Veteran's hearing loss prior to August 24, 2015, warrants a 20 percent rating.
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