The Board of Veterans' Appeals (Board) has denied the veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including manic depression, bipolar disorder, and schizoaffective disorder. The RO concluded that the veteran's pre-existing condition was not aggravated by service.
The deciding factor: The evidence clearly and unmistakably established that the veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder existed prior to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- acquired psychiatric disorder, manic depression, bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 1, 2001
- Citation
- 0123843
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 0123843.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an effective date of December 12, 2023, for a 50 percent evaluation of bipolar disorder and remanded the other issues for further development.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired mental health condition, to include major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder, based on new evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder to correct a duty to assist error, requiring further examination and review of private treatment records.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error, as it is unclear whether the Veteran's claimed conditions are due to any incident of his period of active service.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.