Citation Nr: 21022411 Decision Date: 04/15/21 Archive Date: 04/15/21 DOCKET NO. 14-29 021A DATE: April 15, 2021 ORDER Entitlement to service connection for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is denied. FINDING OF FACT There is no credible supporting evidence that the Veteran experienced an in-service stressor to which a current psychiatric disability may be related. CONCLUSION OF LAW The criteria for entitlement to service connection for PTSD are not met. 38 U.S.C. §§ 1110, 1154, 5107; 38 C.F.R. §§ 3.102, 3.303, 3.304, 4.125. REASONS AND BASES FOR FINDING AND CONCLUSION The Veteran served on active duty in the United States Army from January 1971 to June 1971. This appeal comes before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) from a December 2012 rating decision issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Regional Office (RO), in Atlanta, Georgia. In his August 2014 substantive appeal, the Veteran requested a hearing by videoconference. The Veteran did not appear for the scheduled hearing and therefore the hearing request is considered withdrawn. The Board remanded the claim in April 2018 and March 2020 for additional development including obtaining outstanding VA medical treatment records. The RO issued a September 2020 supplemental statement of case (SSOC) denying entitlement to service connection for PTSD. The case was then returned to the Board. 1. Entitlement to service connection for PTSD The Veteran filed an April 2011 claim for PTSD stating the condition began in May 1971. Service connection for PTSD has unique evidentiary requirements. It generally requires: (1) medical evidence diagnosing the condition in accordance with 38 C.F.R. § 4.125 (a) (i.e., DSM-5); (2) credible supporting evidence that the claimed in service stressor actually occurred; and (3) medical evidence of a link between current symptomatology and the claimed in service stressor. 38 C.F.R. § 3.304(f). The question for the Board is whether the Veteran has a current diagnosis of PTSD. The Board finds that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of PTSD and has not had one at any time during the pendency of the claim or recent to the filing of the claim. Romanowsky v. Shinseki, 26 Vet. App. 289, 294 (2013); McClain v. Nicholson, 21 Vet. App. 319, 321 (2007). The Veteran indicated on his April 2011 claim for compensation that he received treatment for PTSD while in service at Fort Sill in Oklahoma in May 1971. However, the Veteran’s service treatment records (STRs) are silent for any diagnosis, complaints or treatment for PTSD or any other mental health disorder. See September 2014 STRs. The April 2011 claim also indicated that the Veteran received medical treatment from the VA Medical Center in Decatur, Georgia. In accordance with the April 2018 and March 2020 Board remand, VA attempted to obtain VA medical treatment records for the Veteran using his name and social security number, however no records were found. See July 2020 Deferred Rating. The Veteran was notified that there was no evidence of him receiving treatment at a VA medical center, and multiple notices were mailed to the Veteran requesting that he identify or submit additional records in support of his claim, however he never responded. See July 2020 Correspondence, July 2020 and November 2018 Subsequent Development Letter, October 2012 VCAA Letter. Even assuming the Veteran has a current psychiatric disability, he has not specified what the in-service event he believes is responsible for his current disability. His 2011 VA Form 21-526, from which this appeal arises, indicates only that his PTSD began in May 1971 at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. He does not describe his stressor and did not submit a VA Form 21-0781 which solicits that information. The Veteran had five months service before being separated for arthritis of his left great toe. There is no evidence of an in-service diagnosis of PTSD, combat, fear of hostile military or terrorist activity, status as a prisoner of war, or an in-service personal assault. The Veteran had otherwise not provided independent corroborating evidence that his stressor, whatever it might be, occurred. As a result, the Board is unable to find that the in-service stressor occurred. Service connection is therefore not warranted. 38 C.F.R. §§ 3.303, 3.304(f). There is no lay or medical evidence of record in support of a finding that the Veteran experienced an in-service stressor to which a current psychiatric disability may be related. As the Veteran does not have credible supporting evidence a stressor occurred, the claim for entitlement to service connection for PTSD must be (Continued on the next page)   denied. The benefit-of-the-doubt doctrine is not applicable. See 38 U.S.C. § 5107(b); 38 C.F.R. § 3.102. J. B. FREEMAN Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans’ Appeals Attorney for the Board C. Aubee, Associate Counsel The Board’s decision in this case is binding only with respect to the instant matter decided. This decision is not precedential and does not establish VA policies or interpretations of general applicability. 38 C.F.R. § 20.1303.