The Board denied service connection for a psychiatric disability to include PTSD, major depressive disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder as the Veteran's claimed in-service stressors were not verified and there was no competent evidence linking his current disabilities to active service.
The deciding factor: The diagnosed conditions were less likely than not incurred in or caused by the claimed in-service injury, event, or illness due to lack of corroborating evidence for the reported stressors and absence of a direct link between the Veteran's current psychiatric conditions and his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Major depressive disorder, Generalized anxiety disorder, Recurrent left knee disability to include osteoarthritis, Recurrent right hand disability to include degenerative arthritis, Recurrent left hand disability to include degenerative arthritis, Recurrent right foot disability, Recurrent left foot disability, Recurrent vestibular disability to include vertigo, Acquired bilateral eye disability to include dry eye syndrome and a left eye cornea disability, Recurrent sleep disability to include obstructive sleep apnea, Recurrent headache disability
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 25, 2025
- Citation
- 25005730
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 service connection for PTSD, resolving reasonable doubt in the Veteran's favor and finding that his PTSD is related to an in-service military sexual trauma (MST) during a period of ACDUTRA.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of May 17, 2019, for a 70 percent disability rating for PTSD but denied earlier effective dates for service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus.
- Partly granted
The Board granted readjudication of previously denied claims for service connection for PTSD and COPD, while remanding other issues including entitlement to service connection for an eye disorder, hypertension, tinnitus, a compensable rating for bilateral hearing loss, TDIU, and an initial rating for PTSD.
- Granted
The Board granted initial ratings of 40 percent for lumbar spine disorder, 70 percent for major depressive disorder, and 40 percent for left lower extremity radiculopathy. TDIU and SMC based on housebound status were also granted.
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