The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, specifically PTSD, is denied as he does not have a current diagnosis of PTSD or any other psychiatric disorder.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners determined that the Veteran did not have a diagnosable acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, based on the lack of meeting diagnostic criteria under DSM-5 and the absence of evidence supporting a diagnosis of PTSD.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic-stress disorder (PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- July 9, 2019
- Citation
- 19153097
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,948 · Granted: 29% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19153097.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board granted a 70 percent rating for PTSD and a total disability evaluation due to individual unemployability (TDIU) from March 31, 2021.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, claimed as PTSD, is rated at 50 percent effective August 13, 2014.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's PTSD is currently rated at 50 percent, and the Board has determined that a higher rating is not warranted. The Veteran also failed to meet the schedular criteria for TDIU as his combined overall rating was 50 percent throughout the period on appeal.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to inadequate medical opinions regarding the cause of death and whether service-connected PTSD contributed substantially or materially to the Veteran's death. The Appellant contends that alcohol abuse was related to his service-connected PTSD, which led to nonischemic alcohol cardiomyopathy resulting in his death.
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