The Board denied service connection for a psychiatric disorder, hearing loss, TBI, headaches, heart disease, left and right foot disorders, and a higher disability rating for the gunshot wound through-and-through scar residuals -abdomen, with muscle group XIX involvement.
The deciding factor: There was no evidence of a current disability or credible supporting evidence that the claimed in-service stressor occurred, which is required to establish service connection for PTSD. Additionally, there were pre-decisional duty to assist errors regarding VA examinations for hearing loss, TBI, headaches, heart disease, and foot disorders.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Anxiety, Depression, Hearing loss, Traumatic brain injury (TBI), Headaches, Heart disorder/heart disease, Left foot disorder, Right foot disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 30, 2025
- Citation
- A25048305
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 705 · Granted: 38% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 A25048305.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient findings regarding PTSD and depression, requiring a new VA examination.
- Granted
The Veteran is granted special monthly compensation (SMC) at the (o) rate and SMC at the (r)(2) rate, effective January 19, 2025. The decision finds that the Veteran's service-connected conditions warrant these awards due to his need for aid and attendance.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to errors in the AOJ's handling of the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD, other specified trauma and stressor-related disorder, and depression. The AOJ is required to verify the Veteran's claimed stressor and obtain medical opinions regarding the diagnoses and their relation to service.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claims for traumatic brain injury and migraine headaches due to right eye removal are granted. The claim for a compensable evaluation of xeroderma of the right eye is remanded.
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