The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder other than schizophrenia and PTSD, finding that his personality disorders pre-existed active service and were not aggravated by such service.
The deciding factor: Service records are inconsistent with the Veteran’s reported history of a serious head injury with loss of consciousness followed by the onset of mental health symptoms. The Board found clear and unmistakable evidence demonstrating that the Veteran's acquired psychiatric disorders existed prior to his entrance into active duty service and were not aggravated therein.
- Claimed conditions
- Personality Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Major Depressive Disorder
- How they argued it
- Presumptive (no nexus needed)
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- November 10, 2020
- Citation
- 20072592
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 Veteran was granted a disability rating of 70 percent for posttraumatic stress disorder and major depressive disorder, effective October 24, 2017. The Board also granted a total disability rating based on individual unemployability due to service-connected disabilities.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability due to the need for a more comprehensive medical examination and opinion.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for an acquired psychiatric disorder including a generalized anxiety disorder as the evidence did not support a finding that such condition was incurred in or aggravated by active military service.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for various conditions, including GAD, MDD, PTSD, bilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, and foot disabilities. The claim for NSC pension benefits was dismissed as moot due to a higher disability rating.
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