The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for mental disorder, to include schizoaffective disorder, depression, anger, and memory loss. The Veteran provided new evidence that relates to an unestablished fact necessary to substantiate his claims - a nexus between his current psychiatric condition and his military service. However, the Veteran failed to report for a scheduled VA examination in December 2012 without providing good cause.
The deciding factor: The Veteran submitted new medical evidence post-May 2004 denial that established a possible link between his mental disorder and his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- mental disorder, schizoaffective disorder, depression, anger, memory loss
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- April 28, 2014
- Citation
- 1418608
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 1418608.
What this means for you
A grant means the Board agreed the veteran was entitled to the benefit. Decisions like this show the kind of evidence and arguments that tend to succeed for claims like it.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for tinnitus, arthritis, and memory loss. The decision found no evidence linking these conditions to his military service.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining in-service psychiatric treatment records and scheduling a VA examination to determine the nature and etiology of any acquired psychiatric disorder.
- Denied
The Veteran's depression was rated at 50 percent prior to July 1, 2016. The Board found that the evidence did not support a higher rating due to occupational and social impairment with reduced reliability and productivity. For TDIU, the Veteran had multiple service-connected disabilities but his education and work experience were sufficient for sedentary or light labor employment.
- Granted
The Veteran's depression was rated at 50 percent prior to September 27, 2017. From September 27, 2017, the rating for depression increased to 70 percent.
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