The Board finds that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders, including anxiety disorder NOS and dysthymic disorder, are related to his military service due to aggravation of pre-existing conditions.
The deciding factor: The Veteran's symptoms worsened during his second deployment in Iraq, leading to an increase in anxiety, anger, and irritability that were not present prior to the deployment. His pre-existing conditions (alcohol abuse and mood disorder NOS) likely exacerbated these symptoms.
- Claimed conditions
- anxiety disorder NOS, dysthymic disorder
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 31, 2016
- Citation
- 1634332
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 1634332.
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 has denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for anxiety disorder NOS, depression, and PTSD. The evidence does not support a finding that these conditions were incurred in or are related to his active military service.
- Granted
The December 2012 rating decision was reversed to grant service connection for an anxiety disorder, which had previously been denied due to a lack of evidence linking the condition to service. The new evidence provided by the VA psychologist in January 2012 established a link between the Veteran's military service and his current diagnosis of anxiety disorder.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew their appeal for service connection of an acquired psychiatric disorder.
- Granted
The Veteran's dysthymic disorder disability was productive of total social and occupational impairment throughout the claim period, warranting a 100 percent disability rating.
Free starter guide for your own claim
Reading this because you were denied or under-rated? Get the plain-English next steps — your appeal options, the deadline that protects you, and how appeals like yours turn out. One email, no spam.
We will only use this to send the guide. No spam, unsubscribe any time. We never sell your information.
We are not the VA. Veterans’ Rights is an independent resource built for veterans. We are not the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, not part of the government, and not endorsed by any government agency.
This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.