The Veteran's service connection claim for a psychiatric disorder was denied. The Board found no evidence of a diagnosed psychiatric condition.,A rating in excess of 10% for tinnitus was also denied, as the Veteran is already receiving the maximum schedular rating.
The deciding factor: The Veteran did not meet the DSM criteria for a psychiatric diagnosis and his lay opinion was not considered probative due to its lack of medical expertise.
- Claimed conditions
- Psychiatric Disorder, Erectile Dysfunction, Lumbar Spine Degenerative Arthritis with Strain, Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Hypertension
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 40%
- Decision date
- July 20, 2020
- Citation
- 20048203
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 20048203.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the claim of service connection for hypertension, finding that it did not manifest during service and is not causally related to the Veteran's exposure to herbicides or service.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for hypertension, finding that there was no evidence of a nexus between his current condition and active duty service or herbicide exposure.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's erectile dysfunction is secondary to his service-connected major depressive disorder, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for the Veteran's obstructive sleep apnea as secondary to his service-connected left knee and left ankle conditions.
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