The Board denied the veteran's claim for service connection for ADHD, finding that there was no evidence of aggravation beyond the natural progression of the condition during his military service.
The deciding factor: There is clear and unmistakable evidence that the veteran had preexisting ADHD prior to service. The February 2008 VA examiner found that the veteran's ADHD was not permanently aggravated by his brief military service, and there is no persuasive evidence indicating any superimposed injury or disease during service that resulted in additional disability.
- Claimed conditions
- ADHD
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- January 23, 2009
- Citation
- 0902458
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,772 · Granted: 37% (granted or partly granted, in the indexed 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. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 0902458.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's adult child, R.F., is not considered permanently incapable of self-support prior to turning 18 years old and thus does not meet the criteria for survivor benefits.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a pre-decisional error in failing to obtain an adequate VA medical opinion addressing the nature and etiology of the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder. The AOJ must request that the Veteran be scheduled for an examination to determine the probable nature and etiology of his diagnosed acquired psychiatric disability.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's delimiting date for Post-9/11 GI Bill education benefits was extended from January 23, 2015, to March 26, 2018, due to his mental health conditions preventing him from attending school.
- Whole decision: Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection for a psychiatric condition, including ADHD, depression, and anxiety.
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