My secondary claim was denied for "No Diagnosis"

What these denials mean:

When your claim is denied with the statement "The evidence does not show a current diagnosed disability," the VA is saying they don't see proof that you have a diagnosed mental health condition right now.

There are 2 possible reasons why, and it's important to assess which of these applies to your situation:

Possibility #1:

You have been experiencing significant mental health symptoms but they didn't add up to a specific diagnosis.

Symptoms vs. Diagnosis: What's the Difference? Many veterans experience significant mental health challenges that don't currently meet strict diagnostic criteria for a specific mental disorder.

The difference between symptoms and diagnoses can be confusing, especially when they sound similar. For example, "depressed mood" is a symptom – not a diagnosis. You can have depressed mood without meeting the full diagnostic criteria for Major Depressive Disorder or another mental disorder.

Not getting a diagnosis doesn't mean that your experiences aren't valid, but it does mean that you can't get service-connected.

Possibility #2:

You weren't examined adequately.

You should have been offered a Mental Disorder C&P Exam.

If your records aren't sufficient to determine the status of a possible service-connected disability, the VA needs to provide an examination to make that determination.

Assuming you had a Mental Disorder C&P Exam, there is a possibility that the examiner didn't adequately assess your symptoms to identify your diagnosis. This happens frequently.

Find Your Best Path Forward:

Try to figure out if you might have a diagnosis that was missed.

Free Online Screening tests can give you a better idea about whether you might have a diagnosable mental disorder. If you think you may have a mental disorder, you can find out with an IME.

Even if you don't have a diagnosis, you still deserve proper support, and you still have access to free or affordable treatment through many resources.

You can still get service-connection for a mental disorder, if:

You have a diagnosable mental disorder that is connected to your SC disability.

How?

We would start with an IME to determine if you have a mental disorder. If you do, I would proceed to a Records Review and a Medical Literature Review. If there is sufficient evidence of a nexus to your SC disability, I would write a nexus letter to support your claim.

1. Independent Medical Examination (IME) - We would start with an IME to determine if you have a mental disorder.
2. Records Review - If you do have a mental disorder, I would proceed to a Records Review to assess evidence of connection to your SC disability.
3. Medical Literature Review - I would conduct a Medical Literature Review to determine if medical evidence supports a connection between your conditions.
4. Nexus Letter - If there is sufficient evidence of a nexus to your SC disability, I would write a nexus letter to support your claim.