The Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, OSA, and ED are denied as the evidence does not support a finding that these conditions began during active service or are otherwise related to in-service injury, event, or disease.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner determined that the Veteran did not meet the DSM-5 criteria for PTSD. The acquired psychiatric disorders were found to be unrelated to service due to lack of evidence showing pre-existing depressive symptoms and no indication of aggravation by military service beyond natural progression. OSA and ED are denied as there is no evidence establishing an in-service injury, event, or disease.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric disorder, Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), Erectile dysfunction (ED)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- June 29, 2020
- Citation
- 20043622
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 20043622.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability and an increased rating for his acquired psychiatric disorder. The Board found that there was no evidence linking the current disabilities to military service.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), finding that both conditions are secondary to the Veteran's service-connected lower back condition and sinusitis, respectively.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for a determination on whether injuries sustained in a November 2001 incident were in the line of duty. The claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is also remanded due to its interdependence with the line of duty issue.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bladder cancer, erectile dysfunction, and gouty arthropathy due to outstanding VA treatment records not being obtained. The Veteran's request for a referral to a urologist for ED is also remanded. A VA medical opinion is needed regarding the relationship between the Veteran's gouty arthropathy and his service-connected conditions.
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