The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD was denied due to the lack of credible supporting evidence that the claimed in-service stressors occurred. The Board found no evidence corroborating the Veteran's assertion that he experienced fear of hostile military or terrorist activity.,The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, to include anxiety, is remanded as there are deficiencies in the VA examination report and additional development is needed.
The deciding factor: The Board found no credible supporting evidence that the claimed in-service stressors occurred, specifically due to the lack of corroborating objective evidence. The Veteran's lay testimony alone was not enough to establish the occurrence of the alleged stressor.,The VA examination report did not address the June 2022 private physician's diagnosis of anxiety and failed to consider whether the acquired psychiatric disability is aggravated by a service-connected tinnitus.
- Claimed conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Anxiety
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 1, 2026
- Citation
- A26029563
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 A26029563.
What this means for you
A partial grant means some issues were granted while others were denied or remanded — common in multi-issue claims. Look at which issues went which way, and how each was argued.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for PTSD is granted as the evidence shows a current diagnosis of PTSD, an in-service stressor, and a medical link between the two.
- Denied
The Veteran's PTSD has been rated at 50% since March 23, 2004. The Board found that a higher rating is not warranted prior to February 15, 2005 due to the severity of his symptoms and their impact on his social and occupational functioning.
- 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.
- Granted
The Veteran's PTSD resulted in occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity, warranting a 70% disability rating. The Veteran also met the criteria for a TDIU due to his service-connected disabilities preventing him from securing or following a substantially gainful occupation.
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