The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, finding that her in-service stressor events were not valid for VA purposes and thus could not be etiologically related to those events. The Veteran was diagnosed with persistent depressive disorder, with anxious distress, during the appeal period.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the Veteran's claimed in-service stressor events did not meet the criteria of 'fear of hostile military or terrorist activity' as defined by VA regulations and therefore could not be considered valid for service connection purposes.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired Psychiatric Disorder (to include Posttraumatic Stress Disorder)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- November 17, 2021
- Citation
- 21069229
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 21069229.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include PTSD. The evidence did not show current disabilities for VA purposes in either case.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has denied the Veteran's claims for higher ratings for his bilateral hearing loss and remanded the service connection claims. The case is now pending again with additional development required.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of PTSD and therefore, service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder to include PTSD is denied.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for further development due to conflicting evidence regarding service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD. The Veteran's current diagnoses do not meet the criteria for service connection as his symptoms are not related to his military service.
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