The Board found that the Veteran's psychiatric disorder did not have its onset in service and is not related to his service-connected post-operative degenerative disc disease of the lumbosacral spine at L5-S1. Therefore, service connection for a psychiatric disorder was denied.
The deciding factor: The VA examiner opined that the Veteran's current depressive symptoms are more likely due to history of alcohol abuse and personal issues rather than his service-connected back disability.
- Claimed conditions
- Psychiatric Disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 12, 2012
- Citation
- 1209212
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 1209212.
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 a psychiatric disorder and female sexual dysfunction, finding that the Veteran's current diagnoses are at least as likely as not related to her military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claims for service connection are remanded due to the need for additional medical opinions regarding the onset and relationship of his psychiatric disorder, hypertension, and sleep apnea to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to an inadequate VA opinion regarding whether a separate psychiatric disorder is superimposed on the Veteran's personality disorder. The case will be reviewed with a new examination to determine if there are any other service-connected conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for the Veteran's psychiatric disorders, including PTSD, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between his current conditions and his military service.
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