The Board has determined that the Veteran's current psychiatric disorders, including PTSD and unspecified depressive disorder, are related to her military service, specifically the claimed incidents of MST. However, there is conflicting medical evidence regarding whether these conditions are directly related to the MST events or if they are secondary to other stressors such as homelessness.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner found that the Veteran's current symptomatology was not related to in-service MST and did not meet the criteria for PTSD. The private counselor, however, based his opinion on symptoms described by the Veteran that have not been demonstrated in her clinical records.
- Claimed conditions
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Unspecified Depressive Disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 7, 2019
- Citation
- 19184495
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,020 · Granted: 19% (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 19184495.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Veteran's claim for an effective date prior to December 27, 2019 for the grant of service connection for PTSD was denied as there is no earlier claim document in the claims file and the Veteran did not timely perfect an appeal.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD is granted as a result of military sexual trauma (MST) that occurred during service. The Board found the Veteran's testimony and supporting evidence credible, including her VA and private treatment records.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for TDIU is granted with an effective date of August 17, 2022. The decision also denies the Veteran's request for Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) due to lack of need for aid and attendance or being housebound.
- Granted
The Board has granted eligibility to attorney fees based on past-due benefits awarded in the October 2024 rating decision for an increased PTSD rating and denied TDIU.
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