The Board has determined that the appellant's acquired mental disorder, including schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder, was not incurred in or aggravated by active service. The pre-existing condition did not increase in severity during military service and is not shown to have become compensably disabling within a year of separation from active duty.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence clearly and unmistakably shows the appellant had a pre-existing acquired mental disorder prior to his entry into active service, which was not aggravated by service. The Board found no increase in severity during his brief active service period and concluded that the presumption of aggravation is rebutted.
- Claimed conditions
- acquired mental disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 26, 2007
- Citation
- 0737002
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 0737002.
What this means for you
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining in-service psychiatric treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any acquired psychiatric disorder.
- Granted
The Veteran's schizophrenia is rated at 70 percent, indicating significant impairment in work and social functioning.
- Dismissed
The Board dismissed the claims for an effective date prior to August 18, 2016, for a 100 percent disability rating for schizophrenia and for spousal SMC for aid and attendance. The Veteran's claim was erroneously adjudicated by the AOJ and constitutes a free-standing earlier effective date claim.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's service connection claim for an acquired psychiatric disorder, including PTSD, schizoaffective disorder, and neurocognitive disorder is remanded due to a failure to provide a VA examination addressing whether the pre-existing psychiatric disorder was aggravated during service.
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