The Board found that the Veteran's current acquired psychiatric disability, including schizophrenia, was not incurred or aggravated in service and is not otherwise related to service. The claim for service connection was denied.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner concluded it was less likely than not that any psychiatric disability had its onset during service or was incurred or related to service due to the absence of a major mood disorder in service, post-service diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia, and lack of evidence linking military 'treatment or documentation' to the Veteran's current disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric disability (including schizophrenia)
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 16, 2009
- Citation
- 0943580
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 0943580.
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 has granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including schizophrenia, finding that the Veteran's in-service mental health symptoms are at least as likely as not related to his current diagnosis of schizophrenia.
- Granted
The Veteran's petition to reopen claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability (including schizophrenia), a stomach ulcer disorder, and a stomach disorder other than an ulcer condition is granted. The issues are remanded due to the need for additional evidence.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for an acquired psychiatric disability, bilateral foot disability, low back disability, and neck disability due to a lack of service treatment records from Fort Leonard Wood. The claims are being remanded for further development including obtaining missing STRs, scheduling VA examinations, and considering new evidence.
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