The Veteran's death was ruled as a result of suicide, and the Board found that his service-connected disabilities did not contribute to his death. The appellant claimed service connection for the cause of death based on a psychiatric disorder first manifested in service, but the evidence showed no nexus between any service-connected disability and the Veteran's post-service depression. The Board concluded that the Veteran's post-service depression was not a psychosis warranting presumptive service connection.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence did not show a nexus between any service-connected disability and the Veteran's post-service psychiatric disorder, which was found to be major depression rather than a psychosis.
- Claimed conditions
- left shoulder tendonitis, left ankle sprain, actinic keratosis, left knee disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 20, 2012
- Citation
- 1202267
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 1202267.
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 due to the need for additional development, including obtaining SSA records and providing proper notice regarding secondary service connection.
- Granted
The Veteran's service connection claims for lumbosacral strain, asthma, melasma and hydradenitis, hypertension, an acquired psychiatric disorder (claimed as depression, anxiety, and stress), left shoulder disorder, right shoulder disorder, left knee disorder, a left foot disorder, and IBS have been granted. The remaining issues are remanded.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for earlier effective dates for his service-connected left shoulder tendonitis, right shoulder tendonitis, left knee tendonitis, and right elbow tendinitis (impairment of supination and pronation) have been denied.,The Veteran's claim for an earlier effective date for his service-connected right elbow tendinitis (limitation of flexion) has also been denied.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for treatment purposes only under Chapter 17 for various conditions, including cervical spine condition, right upper extremity nerve condition, left upper extremity nerve condition, headache condition, right wrist condition, left wrist condition, right elbow condition, left elbow condition, right shoulder condition, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), bilateral pes planus, right ankle disorder, left ankle disorder, and left knee disorder.
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