The Board found that the veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, diagnosed as adjustment disorder with depressed mood, is not caused or aggravated by her service-connected seizure disorder or anticonvulsive medications used to control seizures.
The deciding factor: VA mental health specialists concluded that the veteran's adjustment disorder with depressed mood was more likely related to employment difficulties and premature ending of employment rather than her service-connected seizure disorder or medication use.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric disorder (adjustment disorder with depressed mood)
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- March 28, 2003
- Citation
- 0305977
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,555 · Granted: 19% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0305977.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including adjustment disorder with depressed mood. The hypertension rating was denied prior to August 14, 2023, and a higher rating for tinnitus was also denied.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, specifically adjustment disorder with depressed mood, is rated at 70 percent. The decision grants this rating based on the severity of symptoms including depression, anxiety, and social impairment.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's claims for increased ratings and service connection were denied. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating or service connection based on the current medical findings.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's headaches are at least as likely as not caused by his service-connected traumatic brain injury, and thus grants service connection for this condition.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.