The Board denied the veteran's claim of service connection for a psychiatric disorder, finding that his bipolar and obsessive-compulsive disorders were not incurred or aggravated during service.
The deciding factor: The pre-existing nature of the veteran's psychiatric conditions was established by evidence showing they existed prior to his entry into military service.
- Claimed conditions
- adjustment disorder with mixed emotional features, bipolar affective disorder (depressed), obsessive-compulsive disorder
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- December 13, 2002
- Citation
- 0218072
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 0218072.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied an earlier effective date for the award of service connection and a higher rating for adjustment disorder with mixed emotional features.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for multiple conditions and a higher disability rating for anxiety disorder, finding that the Veteran's symptoms did not meet the criteria for increased ratings or additional service-connected conditions.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include major depressive disorder recurrent moderate with anxious distress, unspecified depressive disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and TBI to obtain a VA examination and opinion.
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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.