The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding no current diagnosis and insufficient evidence to support the claim.
The deciding factor: The medical evidence did not show a current diagnosis of any acquired psychiatric disorder, and the Veteran's lay statements were deemed inadequate due to their lack of specific arguments in support of their assertions.
- Claimed conditions
- adjustment/mood disorder
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 25, 2020
- Citation
- A20017540
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 A20017540.
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.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for adjustment/mood disorder, gastrointestinal reflux disease (GERD), left lower extremity radiculopathy, right lower extremity radiculopathy, and neurogenic bladder disability as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided that service connection for migraine headaches is granted as secondary to the service-connected tinnitus. The low back disability, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and adjustment/mood disorder claims are remanded due to insufficient medical opinions.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to pre-decisional duty to assist errors, including failing to provide a VA examination for service connection of the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorder.
- Dismissed
The Veteran's claim for service connection for a mental condition (claimed as adjustment/mood disorder) is dismissed. The claims for service connection for left shoulder strain and right shoulder strain are remanded, while the claim for service connection for right shoulder arthritis is also remanded.
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