The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, is denied. The Board finds that the Veteran did not meet the criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD and his current psychiatric disabilities are not related to service. The matter of service connection for a low back disorder is remanded due to inadequate examination.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not support a finding of an in-service event or symptomatology sufficient to establish service connection for the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, and his current psychiatric disabilities are not related to service. The VA examinations were inadequate as they did not consider the Veteran's lay statements regarding continuous treatment and symptoms.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD), Low back disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 21, 2023
- Citation
- 23046192
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 23046192.
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 Veteran's claim for a low back disorder was reopened, and his claims for increased ratings of bilateral knee instability were granted. His hearing loss claim was denied.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for sleep apnea and acquired psychiatric disorder (including PTSD) due to insufficient evidence of record. The Veteran is required to undergo VA examinations to determine if his conditions are related to service.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for a low back disorder. The claims for bilateral hearing loss, hypertension, bilateral knee disorder, and an acquired psychiatric disorder are remanded.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for a low back disorder, finding that the evidence did not show an in-service onset or relationship to service.
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