The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, finding that it is not secondary to his service-connected left Achilles tendon partial rupture and is not otherwise related to an in-service injury or disease.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner determined that the Veteran did not have a diagnosis of PTSD that conformed to DSM-5 criteria and concluded that there was no nexus between the Veteran's reported anxiety symptoms and military service, including his Achilles injury.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired Psychiatric Disorder (including Posttraumatic Stress Disorder)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- August 8, 2023
- Citation
- 23044156
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 23044156.
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: Granted
The Veteran's claims for headaches, sleep apnea, and an acquired psychiatric disorder have been reopened. Service connection has been granted for these conditions.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's petition to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for bilateral hearing loss was denied. The petition to reopen the claim of entitlement to service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, was granted. However, service connection for this condition is denied.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has dismissed the Veteran's appeal for a non-service connected pension and denied service connection for bilateral hearing loss. The Board has also remanded the issue of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder was denied due to lack of evidence supporting in-service stressors. The claim has been reopened with new and material evidence submitted.,Service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including posttraumatic stress disorder, was also denied as there is no credible evidence that the claimed stressors occurred.
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