The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder is not shown to be causally or etiologically related to any disease, injury, or incident during service.,The Veteran's bilateral knee disorder is not shown to be causally or etiologically related to any disease, injury, or incident during service.,A pre-existing mastoiditis or residuals thereof was not clearly and unmistakably aggravated beyond the natural progression by service, and a current mastoiditis-related condition is not shown to be causally or etiologically related to any disease, injury, or incident during service.,At no time during the pendency of the claim does the Veteran have a current disability related to CFS. His symptoms are attributed to known clinical diagnoses.,The Veteran's respiratory symptoms have been attributed to a known clinical diagnosis of chronic bronchitis/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which is not shown to be causally or etiologically related to any disease, injury, or incident during service.
The deciding factor: There is no medical evidence linking the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder to his military service, including a reported personal assault.,The competent medical evidence does not support a nexus between the Veteran's bilateral knee disorder and his military service.,A pre-existing mastoiditis or residuals thereof was not clearly and unmistakably aggravated beyond the natural progression by service, and there is no current mastoiditis-related condition shown to be causally related to any disease, injury, or incident during service.,The Veteran does not have a current disability related to CFS. His symptoms are attributed to known clinical diagnoses.,The respiratory symptoms of the Veteran have been attributed to a known clinical diagnosis (chronic bronchitis/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), which is not shown to be causally or etiologically related to any disease, injury, or incident during service.
- Claimed conditions
- Acquired Psychiatric Disorder, Bilateral Knee Disorder, Mastoiditis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), Respiratory Disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- September 5, 2019
- Citation
- 19169155
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19169155.
What this means for you
A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.
What you can do next
Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for PTSD and any acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that there was no evidence to support a link between his current mental health conditions and his military service.
- Whole decision: Denied
The claims for PTSD, an acquired psychiatric disorder, memory loss/memory problems, chronic fatigue, sleep difficulties/sleep disturbances, and sleep apnea have been denied. The claim for service connection for residuals of testicular denervation and varicosectomy has been granted.
- Whole decision: Granted
The Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder is granted a 70% rating, effective July 15, 2024. The Veteran's GERD remains at a 10% rating.
- Whole decision: Denied
The Veteran's appeals for increased ratings for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Chronic Dermatitis were denied. The Board found that the Veteran's CFS did not meet the criteria for a higher rating, as his symptoms restricted routine daily activities to less than 50 percent of the pre-illness level. For Chronic Dermatitis, the Board determined that topical therapy was sufficient without requiring systemic therapy.
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