The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of service connection for a right arm disability and an acquired psychiatric disorder (unspecified depressive disorder) as there is no evidence to support that these conditions are related to his military service.
The deciding factor: The VA examiners concluded that the current disabilities were not caused by or related to the Veteran's active duty service, with the exception of the right shoulder impingement syndrome and degenerative arthritis which may be linked to his postal work activities post-service.
- Claimed conditions
- Right arm disability, Acquired psychiatric disorder (unspecified depressive disorder)
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- February 11, 2020
- Citation
- 20011327
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 20011327.
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.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the claims of service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder and a right arm disability due to potential new evidence received, incomplete VA treatment records, and need for additional medical opinions.
- Denied
The Veteran's claims for service connection and increased rating were not pending at the time of his death, nor was he entitled to any accrued benefits under an existing decision. The Board denied the appellant's claim for accrued benefits.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Veteran's headaches are rated at a maximum of 50 percent, and the acquired psychiatric disorder is remanded for further evaluation. The left heel spur claim is also remanded to determine if bilateral plantar fasciitis or other foot disorders are related to the service-connected condition.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claims for additional development, including obtaining VA medical opinion and correcting duty to assist errors.
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