The Veteran's service connection for cerebellar ataxia and an acquired psychiatric disorder (adjustment disorder with depressed and anxious mood) is granted as secondary to exposure to Agent Orange during his military service.
The deciding factor: The Board found that the current cerebellar ataxia was directly incurred in service due to in-service exposure to herbicide agents, warranting direct service connection under 38 C.F.R. § 3.303 (a) and (d). The acquired psychiatric disorder is also linked to the cerebellar ataxia.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired Psychiatric Disorder (Adjustment Disorder with Depressed and Anxious Mood), Cerebellar Ataxia
- How they argued it
- Secondary to another service-connected condition
- Exposure basis
- Agent Orange / herbicides
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- May 15, 2019
- Citation
- 19137738
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 3,319 · Granted: 25% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
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 19137738.
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
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Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
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The Veteran's Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) is determined to be related to his exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune during service, and the claim for service connection is granted.
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The Board has granted service connection for cerebellar ataxia as secondary to seizures, but denied the reopening of the claim for generalized musculoskeletal pain.
- Granted
The Veteran's claim for service connection for cerebellar dysfunction, diagnosed as OPCA and cerebellar ataxia, has been reopened. The evidence is now sufficient to support the claim of service connection.
- Granted
The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder is currently rated at 30 percent, effective December 2, 2009. The rating reflects occupational and social impairment with occasional decrease in work efficiency and intermittent periods of inability to perform occupational tasks.
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