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
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.
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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.
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- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disorder and TDIU due to insufficient evidence regarding the etiology of the Veteran's diagnosed conditions.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for obstructive sleep apnea, effective from the date of the February 2025 rating decision.
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