The Board found that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder pre-existed his military service and was not aggravated by it, thus denying the claim for service connection.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence showed no in-service onset or aggravation of the Veteran's major depressive disorder, which he claimed to have had since adolescence with a history of substance abuse and family issues.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric disorder (major depressive disorder)
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 7, 2014
- Citation
- 1444629
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 1444629.
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 Veteran is granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) due to his service-connected acquired psychiatric disorder, effective July 14, 2020. He is also granted special monthly compensation (SMC) at the housebound rate for the same period.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and chronic sinusitis, finding both conditions to be secondary to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the issues of an earlier effective date, initial rating, and TDIU for further development.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding it to be etiologically related to the Veteran's military service.
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