The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, depression, mood disorder, undifferentiated somatoform disorder, adjustment disorder, bipolar disorder, and cyclothymia. The Board found that there was no credible evidence of an in-service sexual assault or other stressor to support a diagnosis of PTSD, and thus could not establish service connection on this basis.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's claims for service connection were denied because the Board found her assertions regarding in-service sexual assaults and other stressors to be inconsistent and lacking credibility. The Board also noted that there was no evidence of current psychiatric disorders related to service or any other basis for establishing service connection.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Depression, Mood Disorder, Undifferentiated Somatoform Disorder, Adjustment Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, Cyclothymia
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 12, 2019
- Citation
- 19162246
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,738 · Granted: 17% (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 19162246.
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 claim for service connection for PTSD is granted as the evidence shows a current diagnosis of PTSD, an in-service stressor, and a medical link between the two.
- Denied
The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 50% since March 23, 2004. The Board found that a higher rating is not warranted prior to February 15, 2005 due to the severity of his symptoms and their impact on his social and occupational functioning.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and any acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between his current mental health conditions and his military service.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD resulted in occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity, warranting a 70% disability rating. The Veteran also met the criteria for a TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.
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