The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability, specifically schizoaffective disorder, is not service-connected due to a lack of evidence showing it was incurred or aggravated by military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examination and medical records indicate that the Veteran had pre-existing substance abuse issues prior to his entry into active service, which likely contributed to his current psychiatric condition rather than any in-service event.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric disability (schizoaffective disorder)
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- May 18, 2011
- Citation
- 1119289
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1119289.
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: Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, specifically schizoaffective disorder, has been reopened and granted. The Board found new evidence sufficient to raise a reasonable possibility of substantiating the claim.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, thoracic spine scoliosis, and lumbar spine degenerative disc disease. The Board found that there was no evidence of a current disability related to service or pre-existing conditions being aggravated by service.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Board has determined that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disability, diagnosed as schizoaffective disorder, was incurred during active service and is granted service connection.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board found no evidence of a link between the Veteran's schizoaffective disorder and his military service, thus denying his claim for service connection.
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