The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric condition, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as the evidence did not support a finding that the Veteran's current psychiatric conditions began during or were related to his military service.
The deciding factor: The preponderance of the evidence showed no indication that the Veteran experienced chronic psychiatric disability during active service and found that his current depressive disorder was unrelated to his military service.
- Claimed conditions
- depressive disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 21, 2019
- Citation
- A19002067
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.
- Partly granted
The Board granted earlier effective dates for TDIU and DEA, but denied increased ratings for various service-connected conditions.
- Denied
The Board denied an earlier effective date and a higher initial rating for the service-connected adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood, finding that the earliest possible effective date had been assigned.
- Granted
The Board granted a disability rating of 50 percent for the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder, characterized as depressive disorder, effective May 1, 2017.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood secondary to the Veteran's service-connected right and left knee, ankle, and leg disabilities.
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