The Board denied service connection for a psychiatric disability, including PTSD, and remanded the claim for degenerative disc disease, lumbar spine.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's psychiatric disability clearly and unmistakably preexisted service and was not aggravated by it beyond its natural progression.
- Claimed conditions
- psychiatric disability, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), degenerative disc disease, lumbar spine
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 13, 2025
- Citation
- A25023309
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a psychiatric disability to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error, specifically regarding the presumption of soundness at entrance into service.
- Denied
The Board denied higher initial disability ratings for the service-connected psychiatric disability and denied earlier effective dates for TDIU, SMC at the schedular housebound rate, and DEA benefits.
- Granted
The Board granted a 40 percent disability rating for the Veteran's lumbar spine disability since September 26, 2024.
- Dismissed
The appeal to reopen the previous denial of service connection for lumbosacral strain is dismissed as the benefit sought has been fully granted.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.