The Board has determined that the Veteran's current acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, is related to an in-service sexual assault and grants service connection for this condition.
The deciding factor: The Board accepted the Veteran's account of a sexual assault during basic training as credible based on multiple lay statements corroborating his testimony. The diagnoses of PTSD were established through participation in military sexual trauma programs and therapy groups, which further supported the diagnosis related to the in-service stressor.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric disability (including PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- October 10, 2019
- Citation
- 19178131
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,500 · 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 19178131.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board allowed the benefit or issue identified in this decision. Review the original order: other issues in the same appeal may have a different outcome, and this decision does not predict another claim.
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 has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, to include PTSD, effective from March 5, 2020. The decision finds that it is approximately as likely as not related to his combat experience in active duty.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a pre-decisional duty-to-assist error and for an adequate medical opinion regarding the nature and etiology of any acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD. The Veteran's alcohol use disorder is also being evaluated.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including PTSD, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) due to insufficient information regarding in-service stressors and missing service treatment records. The Veteran is required to undergo VA examinations to determine the nature and etiology of his claimed conditions.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the cases for further development, including scheduling new VA examinations at Ann Arbor VAMC due to facility restrictions.
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