The Board has determined that the veteran's current psychiatric disability, diagnosed as a substance-induced mood disorder, was not incurred in or aggravated by his active military service and may not be presumed to have been incurred in service.
The deciding factor: There is no competent medical evidence showing any diagnosis of a mood disorder during service. The earliest competent medical evidence showing a diagnosis of any such psychiatric disorder is from 1992, which is a decade after the veteran separated from service.
- Claimed conditions
- substance induced mood disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 16, 2006
- Citation
- 0625296
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 180 · Granted: 28% (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 0625296.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted an earlier effective date of October 10, 2008, for the award of a 100 percent rating for the Veteran's service-connected psychiatric disability.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection for left ear hearing loss and an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, major depressive disorder, and substance induced mood disorder, are remanded for further development.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error, specifically regarding the lack of consideration of in-service stressors and post-discharge symptoms. The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders are being reviewed for service connection.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than persistent depressive disorder, to include PTSD, is remanded due to incomplete VA examination and insufficient private opinions. A new VA examination with a psychiatrist or psychologist is needed.
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.