The Veteran's cyclothymic disorder is granted as secondary to service-connected conditions. The claims for left leg, right leg, left hip, right hip, left shoulder, and right shoulder disabilities are denied due to lack of a nexus to service or service-connected conditions.
The deciding factor: The VA mental health evaluation concluded that the Veteran's cyclothymic disorder is more likely as not caused by his service-connected back and right ankle disabilities. However, there was no direct link established between the claimed left leg, right leg, left hip, right hip, left shoulder, and right shoulder conditions and service or service-connected conditions.
- Claimed conditions
- {"condition_name":"cyclothymic disorder"}, {"condition_name":"left leg disability"}, {"condition_name":"right leg disability"}, {"condition_name":"left hip disability"}, {"condition_name":"right hip disability"}, {"condition_name":"left shoulder disability"}, {"condition_name":"right shoulder disability"}, {"condition_name":"bilateral temporomandibular joint (TMJ) syndrome"}
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- March 7, 2019
- Citation
- 19116332
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 19116332.
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.
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- Granted
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- Partly granted
The Board granted service connection for anxiety but denied it for sleep apnea, finding that the Veteran's sleep apnea was less likely than not related to his active service or service-connected acquired psychiatric condition.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for migraine headaches as proximately due to the Veteran's service-connected tinnitus.
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