The Board denied service connection for ADHD or other acquired psychiatric disorder, including panic disorder, as the evidence did not meet the full diagnostic criteria to establish separate and distinguishable diagnoses from the already service-connected PTSD with MDD and alcohol use disorder.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's symptoms were found to be included in her existing service-connected conditions, specifically PTSD, MDD, and alcohol use disorder.
- Claimed conditions
- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Social Phobia, Panic Disorder, Insomnia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 23, 2020
- Citation
- 20005405
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,071 · Granted: 26% (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 20005405.
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 has remanded the case due to failure to obtain records from Holly Hill Hospital. The Veteran was previously denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including GAD.
- Dismissed
The Board has dismissed the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, Major Depression, and Panic Disorder due to his withdrawal of these issues prior to a decision being made.
- Granted
The Veteran's GAD with PDD resulted in occupational and social impairment, warranting an initial rating of 70 percent.
- Denied
The Veteran's initial rating for service-connected GAD was denied, as his symptoms did not meet the criteria for a higher disability rating.
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