The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that his current diagnoses were not related to his military service and there was no evidence of any psychiatric symptoms or pathology within the first post-service year.
The deciding factor: The April 2014 VA examiner found the Veteran’s disabilities less likely than not caused by his service, citing a lack of evidence linking his diagnosed mental health conditions to the reported stressful event.
- Claimed conditions
- an unspecified depressive disorder, undifferentiated schizophrenia
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating
- Not verified here — check the original decision
- Decision date
- November 26, 2019
- Citation
- 19189280
Veterans Law Judge
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. Read the original VA decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 19189280.
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: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that the Veteran's service connection claim for an acquired psychiatric disability, including a depressive disorder, should be remanded due to pre-decisional duty-to-assist errors. Specifically, the Board notes that VA treatment records are needed and a formal finding of unavailability must be made if no additional records can be located.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to errors in decision-making and failure to consider all relevant evidence, including the Veteran's service records and a private psychological evaluation. The case is now pending for further review.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability, including a depressive disorder, is being remanded due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors. The AOJ must obtain private treatment records and provide addendum opinions addressing the Veteran's lay statements regarding her left hip injury and its impact on her mental health.
- Whole decision: Remanded (sent back)
The Board has found that the Veteran may have more than one acquired psychiatric disorder and is remanding for a new medical opinion to determine which, if any, are service-connected.
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