The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depression and PTSD. The Board found that there was no evidence of a diagnosed PTSD based on verified in-service stressors and concluded that the Veteran did not meet the full diagnostic criteria for PTSD.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner determined that the Veteran's current diagnosis of adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depression is not related to service, as it was not related to any documented in-service April 2003 episode of altered mental state. The Board also found that there was no evidence of a diagnosed PTSD based on verified stressors.
- Claimed conditions
- adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- September 10, 2020
- Citation
- 20059396
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 20059396.
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 insufficient evidence regarding the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder and PTSD. The Veteran will be asked to provide additional medical records and undergo a VA examination.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD and major depressive disorder, is being remanded due to the need for additional development regarding his alleged stressors.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development regarding the Veteran's service connection claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for bilateral hearing loss, migraine headaches, and PTSD due to additional development of records and examination.
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