The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD due to MST, is denied. The Board found that the evidence does not support a finding of an in-service stressor and the VA examiner opined that any mental health treatment providers likely made a diagnosis in error.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for erectile dysfunction secondary to an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD due to MST, is also denied. The Board found that there was no credible supporting evidence corroborating the alleged MST.
The deciding factor: There is insufficient evidence to support the occurrence of a stressor related to military sexual trauma (MST) and the Veteran's mental health conditions are not service-connected.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired Psychiatric Disorder (including PTSD due to MST), Erectile Dysfunction secondary to acquired psychiatric disorder
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 31, 2023
- Citation
- 23005947
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 23005947.
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.
- Granted
The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD due to military sexual trauma (MST), and finds that new evidence supports this claim. The Veteran now has a current diagnosis of PTSD related to MST during his period of active service.
- Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for hypertension and peripheral neuropathy of the bilateral upper and lower extremities due to insufficient medical opinions regarding their etiology.
- Granted
The Veteran's major depressive disorder is found to be caused by his service-connected low back and radiculopathy disabilities, which prevent him from doing enjoyable activities and daily living tasks.
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