Veterans’ RightsAn independent resource for veterans
← All decisions
Denied

The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including schizophrenia. The decision found that a preexisting psychiatric disorder existed prior to service and was not aggravated by active duty.

The deciding factor: A pre-existing psychiatric disorder (schizophrenia) was noted in records from two years before the veteran's entry into military service, and there is no clear evidence of aggravation during service. The presumption of soundness applies due to the absence of a finding of a preexisting condition at the time of enlistment.

Claimed conditions
Acquired Psychiatric Disorder (to include Schizophrenia)
How they argued it
Presumptive (no nexus needed)
Exposure basis
None
Rating assigned
None in this decision
Decision date
October 13, 2006
Citation
0631862

Veterans Law Judge

MICHAEL D. LYON

Decisions by this judge: 2,642 · Granted: 19% (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 0631862.

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.

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.