The Board granted the Veteran's motion to revise an August 2003 rating decision, finding that the correct application of the law would have resulted in a grant of service connection for delusional disorder.
The deciding factor: The error was in not applying the presumption of soundness and the subsequent guidance from VA General Counsel, which required clear and unmistakable evidence to rebut the presumption. The Veteran's pre-existing condition clearly existed prior to service but there is no clear evidence that it was not aggravated by service.
- Claimed conditions
- delusional disorder
- How they argued it
- Reopened with new and material evidence
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- August 20, 2019
- Citation
- 19164530
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 19164530.
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.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric condition, to include anxiety disorder, depressive disorder, insomnia, delusional disorder, mood disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and adjustment disorder.
- Partly granted
The Board granted an earlier effective date of October 15, 2020, for the award of a 100 percent evaluation for delusional disorder but dismissed the claim for an earlier effective date prior to February 26, 2018.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, to include delusional disorder, anxiety disorder, and psychotic disorder, resolving all doubt in favor of the Veteran.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has reopened the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, but remands it due to insufficient evidence regarding the claimed in-service stressors and need for a VA examination.
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