The Board has determined that the veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, specifically major depressive disorder, did not arise during active military service and is not presumed to have been incurred due to exposure to Agent Orange or other environmental factors. The Board found no evidence of a preexisting condition at entry into service and concluded that any current psychiatric disorder arose in the 1990s as a result of alcohol abuse.
The deciding factor: The veteran's pre-existing nervous disorder did not exist prior to service, and there is no clear and unmistakable evidence to rebut this presumption. The Board found no medical evidence showing a pre-service onset or any aggravation during service for the current psychiatric condition.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired Psychiatric Disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 3, 2006
- Citation
- 0609601
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,440 · Granted: 30% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted 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. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0609601.
What this means for you
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What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and any acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between his current mental health conditions and his military service.
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- Granted
The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder is granted a 70% rating, effective July 15, 2024. The Veteran's GERD remains at a 10% rating.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for special monthly compensation based on aid and attendance due to service-connected TBI with PTSD is granted, effective September 6, 2018.
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