The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder was not incurred by service nor caused or aggravated by his service-connected low back disability. The Veteran's service-connected disabilities do not meet the schedular requirements for TDIU.
The deciding factor: VA opinions were obtained and they found no evidence of a nexus between the Veteran's service and his acquired psychiatric disorder, and concluded that it was less likely than not caused or aggravated by his service-connected low back disability. The VA examiner also stated that the Veteran functioned fairly well after service and did not have serious psychological problems prior to his 1995 accident.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired psychiatric disorder, Low back disability, Bilateral knee disabilities, Bilateral lower extremity radiculopathy, Residuals of a right little finger injury
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 60%
- Decision date
- January 17, 2018
- Citation
- 1803138
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 1803138.
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.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for a low back disability and an increased rating for his acquired psychiatric disorder. The Board found that there was no evidence linking the current disabilities to military service.
- Denied
The Veteran's service-connected low back disability alone does not prevent him from securing and following a substantially gainful occupation.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case for a determination on whether injuries sustained in a November 2001 incident were in the line of duty. The claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder is also remanded due to its interdependence with the line of duty issue.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a duty to assist error in failing to obtain private treatment records from the Veteran's treating clinician.
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