The Veteran's claims for service connection for various conditions, including PTSD, depressive disorder, TBI, and related disabilities, were denied as there is no evidence of a current diagnosis or link to service.
The deciding factor: There is no competent medical evidence showing the Veteran has any diagnosed psychiatric disorders, including PTSD and depressive disorder. The STRs do not indicate depression or mental health symptoms, and his subjective reports are inconsistent with objective findings in VA records and MEB/PEB reports. Additionally, there is no credible supporting evidence of an in-service stressor.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired Psychiatric Disorder (including Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Depressive Disorder), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Headache Disorder secondary to TBI, Diabetes Mellitus type II (DM), Kidney Disorder secondary to DM, Bilateral Eye Disorder, including secondary to DM or TBI, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disorder (GERD), Low Back Disorder, Disability due to left leg length discrepancy (claimed as 'muscle damage to the left side'), Pelvic Injury, Rheumatoid Arthritis (claimed as 'skeletal arthritis of entire joint system'), Right Hip Disorder secondary to a service-connected left hip disability, Right Knee Disorder secondary to a service-connected left hip disability, Bilateral Foot Disorder secondary to a service-connected left hip disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 7, 2023
- Citation
- 23059970
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 23059970.
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 granted a rating of 70 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI), as the Veteran's symptoms most nearly approximated occupational and social impairment with deficiencies in most areas.
- Granted
The Veteran's effective date for the award of a 100 percent rating for PTSD with alcohol use disorder moderate and TBI was granted as of October 22, 2019.
- Denied
The Board denied earlier effective dates for the grant of service connection and increased evaluations for GERD, sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, and TBI.
- Partly granted
The Board granted a separate 10 percent disability rating for the Veteran's service-connected TBI from February 1, 2016, to July 2, 2021.
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