The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, adjustment disorder, depression, and substance abuse disorder, was denied. The Board found that the Veteran did not have a current diagnosis of PTSD and there was no corroborated in-service stressor.,Service connection for COPD was also remanded due to the VA examiner's competence being challenged by the Veteran.
The deciding factor: The Veteran did not meet the criteria for service connection as his acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, adjustment disorder, depression, and substance abuse disorder, could not be linked to service based on insufficient evidence of a current disability or a link between symptoms and in-service stressors.,The VA examiner's competence was challenged by the Veteran, necessitating further review.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired Psychiatric Disorder, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 26, 2026
- Citation
- A26017697
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 A26017697.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and any acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between his current mental health conditions and his military service.
- Denied
The claims for PTSD, an acquired psychiatric disorder, memory loss/memory problems, chronic fatigue, sleep difficulties/sleep disturbances, and sleep apnea have been denied. The claim for service connection for residuals of testicular denervation and varicosectomy has been granted.
- Granted
The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder is granted a 70% rating, effective July 15, 2024. The Veteran's GERD remains at a 10% rating.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation based on aid and attendance due to service-connected TBI with PTSD is granted, effective September 6, 2018.
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