The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder, finding that there was clear and unmistakable evidence that his pre-existing psychiatric disorders did not worsen during service. The Board also found no in-service incurrence of a psychiatric disorder.
The deciding factor: The medical opinion provided clear and unmistakable evidence that the Veteran's psychiatric disorders pre-existed service and were not aggravated by service.
- Claimed conditions
- major depressive disorder with mood congruent psychosis features, obsessive compulsive disorder, social anxiety disorder
- How they argued it
- Aggravation of a pre-existing condition
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 14, 2020
- Citation
- 20066473
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.
- Partly granted
The Board dismissed the appeal for service connection for a mental health condition and denied service connection for an eye condition. The claims for autoimmune limbic encephalitis with non-paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis (NPLE) with GAD65 antibodies and dystonia and dystonic tremor were remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for a psychiatric disorder to obtain an adequate VA medical opinion.
- Granted
The Board granted service connection for a left knee disorder, right knee disorder as secondary to the left knee disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, bilateral eye disorder, rhinitis, and left ear hearing loss.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection of generalized anxiety disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder due to an inadequate VA medical opinion.
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This is general information, not legal advice. For advice about your own situation, talk to a VA-accredited representative — many help for free.