The Veteran's claims for service connection for various psychiatric conditions, bilateral plantar fasciitis, tinnitus, degenerative arthritis of the spine, right ankle condition, and bilateral hand degenerative arthritis have all been denied. The Board found that there was insufficient evidence to support a direct relationship between these conditions and the Veteran's military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners provided opinions indicating no direct link between the claimed conditions and the Veteran’s active duty service, based on lack of chronicity of care in treatment records and absence of objective medical findings during service.
- Claimed conditions
- anxiety, depression, panic attacks, insomnia disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 23, 2020
- Citation
- 20005205
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder to ensure a proper examination and etiology opinion are provided.
- Granted
The Board granted an effective date of October 17, 2022, for the grant of service connection for PTSD.
- Remanded (sent back)
The appeal is remanded for further development and consideration of the Veteran's claims for service connection for various acquired psychiatric disorders.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for various conditions, including GERD, chronic kidney disease, COPD, a heart condition, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, insomnia, and obstructive sleep apnea, as additional development is necessary to address the Veteran's exposure to toxic chemical agents during his service.
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